The Power of Loss
by Alexowent
Summary: Losing a loved one can do one of two things: break us down entirely, or help us achieve a dream. Make us better, stronger, and happier in the long run. Follow Naruto as he makes friends, loses some, and discovers just how the ninja world works. -Stronger/Smarter Naruto- Maybe slight NaruHina. Open to suggestion.
1. Chapter 1

Rain… Falling… How did it ever come to this?

Hair matted to his head, Naruto backed away, facing the memorial stone. A few steps in, turning around, the somber student began home. How can things ever be the same again?

* * *

Six years ago...

Cheering radiates the area. Parents, holding their kids' hands, leading them to their first day of the Ninja Academy; The first step of their new lives. Lives of necessary danger. Lives of protecting one's family and country.  
First days like this are best to experience with a loved one – a family member. What if, however, you had none? No one to be there for you, and no one to accompany you.  
The golden-haired boy in the back would be happy to answer if it meant someone to talk to.

With no one to walk him in, Naruto Uzumaki sits on a single swing on a branch, waiting for the crowd to clear.  
He's never been one for groups, seeing as the only ones he has come in contact with were revolted by him and acted accordingly. Staying silent and still on the seat, he stares at his feet with a downcast expression.  
One gained from years of solitude. He grew past the pain a long time ago, and has replaced it with emptiness.  
That's the usual feeling, at least. Today, he was staring down not in emptiness, but in contemplation; anxiety. This was the first day of a long journey towards a  
dream. His dream. One of being recognized and acknowledged. His dream of becoming Hokage.

Once the crowd cleared, he launched himself off the swing with a glimmer of excitement. Power-walking in, he quickly found his classmates and followed suit. Leading him to his classroom, he then was faced with the challenge of finding a seat. He didn't want to sit next to anyone who might reject him, or anyone for that matter. Seeing as there was technically no way to avoid people as a whole, he settled for finding a seat in the back, hoping he wouldn't get noticed too often. Looking around him, Naruto didn't see anyone specifically targeting him or eyeing him as the adults do, so he could consider his spot a good one. In fact, he noticed one weird girl sparing kind glances at him for some odd reason. She has short, lavender-ish hair and white eyes void of much color. He'd have to check in to that phenomenon later, for now the teacher walked in.

Much to Naruto's dismay, he immediately noticed the disgusted look his newfound sensei shot him. He could tell this year would be a long one. He just hoped the teacher wouldn't act too much upon his opinions like the other adults often did. Professionalism, right?

"Alright, kids, my name is Hino Kazatime and I will be acting as this year's instructor. First off, we will be taking a pre-test of sorts to determine what you all know as of now. From this, I will arrange my lessons so please try your best. All of you." He said to the class as a whole before giving stacks of paper to each student in the front row so they can pass them back. Once Naruto got the test he eyed it carefully. He had visited the library many times and had spent countless hours studying. You'd find yourself having lots of free time if you have no parents to set any curfew or bedtimes.

* * *

 _Number 1: How many major Elemental Nations exist in the ninja world? What are their names?_

This was fairly straightforward. Pretty simple compared to most of the things he studied…

There are five… Land of Fire, Earth, Wind, Lightning, and Water…

 _Number 2: What are the five major Shinobi villages?_

Staying simple, I see… Maybe I over prepared…

Konohagakure, Kumogakure, Iwagakure, Kirigakure, and Sunagakure…

After answering fifteen or so questions, Naruto stood up, noticing he was the first to finish, and walked down the aisle towards Hino-sensei.  
He noted that no angry or disgusted glares were received. This sensei seemed relatively indifferent, thankfully.

After everyone finished their papers, the day was called short so the lessons could be prepared. Naruto felt satisfied and proud of himself.  
His first day went smoothly, and if the rest of his academy time went similarly, he'd have an easy five years ahead of him.

Exiting the classroom, he couldn't help but to daydream at least a little. What if he kept on having nice days like this? What if he actually made a friend? Could he even do that? Was he capable? Only the future would te- He was broken out of his thought when he bumped into some kid dressed in blue and white.  
He noticed the black spiky hair and Uchiha crest on his back.

"I'm so sorry, I was daydreaming" Naruto sputtered in embarrassment.  
He didn't was to ruin his first day by making an enemy.

"Hey, don't worry about it. Mistakes happen. I'm Sasuke, what's your name?"

Naruto almost couldn't believe it. Someone was talking to him like a normal person. This wasn't something that happened all too often.

"I'm… uh… I'm Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki." He finally replied a little excitedly. "I guess you're an Uchiha? The whole crest thing gives it away."

"Oh, yeah. Where's your family? I didn't see you with anyone this morning" Sasuke questioned curiously.

Silence… Naruto didn't know how to respond.

"Oh… I'm sorry, I didn't know… So you live in the orphanage, then?" Sasuke felt a little choked up. He couldn't imagine what it would be like without a family.

"No, no… It's alright. I actually live by myself. It's not too bad, I suppose. No rules, right?" Naruto half lied.

"Yeah, I guess so. Well hey, if you ever get too lonely, feel free to stop by my compound. You don't seem too bad." Sasuke joked, smiling kindly. "I should be heading off now. It was nice meeting you!" He said as he began heading home, waving to his new blonde friend.

Did I just get invited over to someone's house..? Did I just make a friend?  
Naruto was honestly awestruck. He just made his first friend, and one from a major clan nonetheless.  
This really was turning out to be a good day…

* * *

A couple of weeks had gone by since that day. Naruto hadn't approached Sasuke again in fear of messing up or saying something stupid.  
He didn't know how to exactly deal with 'friends'. It was a new concept to his.  
This, of course, gained him some curious looks from Sasuke, but never anything more.

Finally, one day Naruto was lying in bed and his loneliness got the better of him. He left his stuffy old apartment and set out to find the Uchiha complex.  
He couldn't help but feel a little nervous, it being the first time he was visiting a friend ever.  
What was he supposed to do once he got there?  
He wasn't exactly the most social person ever.

After a good while of walking, he made it to the targeted complex. Shortly after arriving to the gate, two guards appeared in front of him.

"Can we help you?" One of them asked.

"Uh… Yes please… I'm here to see Uchiha Sasuke?" Naruto accidentally asked rather than stated.

Looking a little surprised, a guard finally responded after shooting a glare to his cohort. "One moment, please."

Naruto was very nervous now. He wasn't sure if he had said anything wrong or if the guards were simply going check with Sasuke.

Surely enough, it was confirmed to be the latter when he saw his friend approaching the gate.

"So you finally decided to visit me? Took ya' long enough" Sasuke laughed

"Sorry, sorry, I wasn't exactly sure how to go about it… I'm not really used to the whole 'having friends' thing" Naruto blushed.

"You're not some weirdo or something, are you?" the Uchiha half-joked, half-asked.

"Nope er – not that I know of at least. I've just gotten used to being alone." Naruto could feel his nerve easing up. He was getting more and more comfortable.

"Well hey, let's go inside. Wanna spar?

This surprised Naruto. He had never actually sparred with someone before.  
Of course he did conditioning and read up on basic fighting style, but practicing with a live person was a different story entirely. Guess telling the truth is the best option.

"I've never actually sparred before. I mean, I've beat up a wooden post before and I know the academy katas but other than that, I guess I suck…" He admitted

"Hey, that is a lot more than anyone else our grade. The only reason I know what I do is because of my last name. Don't worry; I'll help you along the way." Sasuke said sincerely.

The raven-haired boy led his newfound friend to the training field while chatting with him. Mostly small talk but still a lot more than Naruto is used to.

"Okay so… How do we start this?" Naruto was genuinely lost.

Chuckling, Sasuke told him to get into stance and to block or evade his strikes.  
He started off going easy on Naruto, not expecting much from him. He threw a right hook towards Naruto's cheek, only to have it slapped away by him.

Deciding to step it up a bit, he feinted a left uppercut and threw a left shin towards his partner's midsection. Naruto leaned right and threw his forearm down, blocking Sasuke's leg.

The Uchiha was slightly impressed. He wasn't expecting this from an ordinary orphan who has never sparred before. His reflexes were sharper than they should be.

Deciding to step it up more, Sasuke threw a right-left combination towards Naruto, followed by a knee to the gut. The orphan responded by ducking, catching the knee, and pushing Sasuke back.

"You can stop going easy on me, man. I know I said I never sparred before but I'm not totally dumb" Naruto complained.

"Alright then, let's kick this up a bit" Sasuke said with a fire in his eyes. He then ran towards Naruto, dropped down, and went to sweep him to the ground, only to have Naruto jump over it. While he was in the air, Sasuke grabbed his leg and threw him forward. Naruto came to a roll and got back into stance.

Sasuke was already on him throwing flat hands towards Naruto's chest. Some being slapped away and some connecting until Naruto caught hold of the rhythm and began slapping away or evading any palm thrown at him.  
This alerted Sasuke to begin using more knees. He swiped a loose hand in front of Naruto's eyes as a way of misdirection and delivered a knee straight to the gut when his opponent was distracted.

"Alright I think you're far beyond good enough at blocking and evading me for now, so how about you start fighting back?" Sasuke said between light breaths.

"Sounds like a lot more fun than being your punching bag!" Naruto complained, smiling.

As soon as the actual sparring match began, the two quickly approached each other and began trading licks.  
Sasuke had the upper hand at striking while Naruto was far better with his defense.  
He kept to closed fist strikes and never really incorporated open hands or legs into his technique.  
Sasuke took notice of this quite quickly and decided to say something. He called for a break.

"Hey, Naruto, what's up with you only punching? Do you know how to strike with your legs or a palm?"

"I've never seen it in any book I've read… So no, I guess not" Naruto said, feeling a little embarrassed and tired.

"You've never had anyone teach you? Like a sensei or something?"

"Like I told you, I don't really have many friends. I learn by books and practice…"

"That must suck… Well then let me show you. Mind?" Sasuke asked with a hint of pity in his voice.

"That'd be awesome!" This was the first time someone not only wanted to train with him, but teach him something new. Life was really looking up.

"Alright, well it's all about staying fluid with you movement…" Sasuke began teaching his friend how to better fight.  
They didn't have long, however, before it became dark and Sasuke's beloved brother, Itachi who had been spectating the whole training session, told his brother to send his friend home.

While Naruto was a little upset about one of the best days of his life coming to an end, he was also happy knowing that he has made a friend.  
Hopefully he can keep this friendship.

 _I hope he never changes…_

"Maybe we can do this again some other time?" Naruto asked hopefully.

"Definitely. I had lots of fun," Sasuke answered sincerely with a friendly smile on his face.

Naruto smiled and took off to his apartment, dreaming of sleep after a long day of training. That was never a bad thing.

* * *

"Are you positive there is no other way?" Sarutobi asked in pure dismay. He was never the type to make these kinds of calls.  
That's why he never got rid of his advisor Danzo Shimura, no matter how much he wanted to sometimes.

"There is none. They are a volatile clan, and now they are blatantly planning a coup. We must go through with this." The aforementioned advisor advised, or ordered rather.

"He's right, Hiruzen and you know it. Now is not the time for your peaceful solutions. There is none." Koharu Utatane, another advisor said.

Furiously rubbing his temples, the Third Hokage finally agreed to one of the most fateful events in the history of Konoha.  
The massacre of the Uchiha clan.  
The martyr of this atrocious act would be none other than the noble and patriotic Itachi Uchiha.

* * *

 **Well, there's the first chapter. Let me know what you guys think and don't feel discouraged to tell me what you want to see in this story!**

 **I have a basic storyline set up, but the details remain a mystery. Hope you all enjoyed! Until next time.**


	2. Once a Friend, a Rival

Chapter 2: Once a Friend, a Rival

* * *

Buzz… Buzz… Buzz..

'It's getting louder…' Naruto groggily thought 'What is it?'

Moment of silence…

"Ahh!" Naruto shot up, squirming his blanket off, still wearing his sleeping cap.

He immediately looked towards the alarm clock.

 _'6:45 a.m.'_

"Shit…" Being late to school on a Monday wasn't the best thing ever, and Naruto was about to figure that out first hand. Throwing off his cap and on a navy-blue tank top along with his orange pants and some black sandals, he ran out his front door only to hit a wall. A wall? Oh… that's a closet…

Taking off again, but this time actually out his front door, all of this happening in the span of a minute.

* * *

Number one challenge of showing up late, the awkwardness of entering the room with all attention on you.

"Sorry I'm late, Sensei. My alarm hates me." Naruto mumbled

"Just sit down, we've just begun going over basic chakra manipulation." A slightly annoyed Hino replied pseudo-calmly. As Naruto approached his seat, he shot a smile to Sasuke, which was responded only with an empty stare at first Naruto, then the ground. While curious, the blonde decided to leave it alone for the time being. He would have to find out what was wrong with Sasuke, however. Another weird thing was that not only was Sasuke looking down, but everyone else was whispering things to each other and shooting occasional fingers and stares towards the Uchiha. Did they know something he didn't? A matter for another time.

"Alright, how about we restart this lesson for Naruto here?" Hino said, hoping to get a rise out of the boy. To his surprise, he saw thankfulness in his eyes instead. 'Hm… that was unexpected.'

"Can you tell me just what chakra is, Naruto?" Hino asked with a mixture of challenge and slight hope that he won't know it. Can't pass up a chance to embarrass the demon child, can you?

Faltering a bit from being put in the spotlight, Naruto answered calmly "Chakra is the basic energy resonating from the mind and from the body that shinobi use to perform any given ninjutsu or genjutsu."

"Well said, Naruto." Hino said, genuinely impressed. "Shikamaru, how might one go about controlling chakra?"

Shikamaru, head down, lazily peeked up from his arms. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Ugh… I asked how one might go about controlling chakra." Hino sighed

"Hand signs, unless you're really talented. Then, of course, it takes concentration and mental training through meditation." Shikamaru said before putting his head back down.

"That's about all we're getting out of him, sensei…" Choji apologized

"I suppose so… well Naruto and Shikamaru said it well enough. Chakra is essential to even the most basic technique. Through various methods, the most common of which are hand seals, chakra can be controlled and manipulated to create an effect that would not be possible otherwise, like water walking, breathing fire, or making illusions (that made the class giddy). Chakra is ordinarily not visible to the unaided eye unless it is highly concentrated or manifested in large amounts… However you won't be going over this any further until Year Four and you won't be expected to learn it before then. Then, of course, I won't be your instructor. Count this as an introduction." At that, the class's relief was almost tangible.

"As for now, I'm going to explain the rules of sparring, then we will do just that, spar." Everyone except Shikamaru, Sasuke, and Naruto were nervous at that, with the latter being excited.

Seeing the kids' faces show both interest, nerve, and excitement, Hino continued "According to protocol, the two opponents must face each other and make the Seal of Confrontation, which represents one half of a seal that might be used to activate a ninjutsu and essentially means ' _I've come to face you in battle_ '. When the spar is over, both participants make the Seal of Reconciliation by locking the fingers they used to make the " _confrontation_ " seal, acknowledging that they are still comrades." He decided to wrap up his explanation after nearly putting the class to sleep. "… Alright then, let's go outside."

* * *

Once everyone was in the sparring grounds, Hino called up the first combatants.

"Our first match will be Sakura Haruno versus Hinata Hyuuga. Each time you knock down your opponent, you get a point. Three points, and you win." At that, both girls looked fairly nervous as they stepped up to the plate.

After they performed the first seal, Hino called the match to a start.

"Begin"

They eyed each other expectantly while strategizing. Sakura was the first to make a move, launching a closed fist towards her opponent's mouth. Hinata quite easily averted the hand away from her face, only to be greeted by the sight of a palm heading towards her gut. She jumped back, dodging the palm before jumping forward and launching her surprisingly flexible leg at Sakura's head. The cherry blossom was caught off guard by the speed and hastily threw up her forearm to block the kick. Even so, she was knocked down and was gifted a hefty bruise on her arm. This wasn't Hinata's first time fighting.

"One point to Hinata" Hino said with a hint of both a proud teacher and an impressed ninja.

Sakura picked herself up and went back at Hinata, throwing a punch. Hinata was getting ready to catch Sakura's arm before it suddenly dropped out of sight. Sakura feinted that punch, dropped down, and kicked Hinata's shin, effectively dropping her to the ground.

"Nice use of planning, Sakura. One point to you"

This time Hinata was serious. She couldn't lose in front of Naruto, she wouldn't lose in front of Naruto. What she didn't know, however, was that Sakura had taken interest in the Uchiha, and had similar interests in not wishing to lose in front of him. This was a fight on who was more serious.

They approached each other and Sakura threw the first punch, which was calmly blocked by Hinata, who returned the favor by palming the bottom of Sakura's chin, cracking her teeth together. While she was stunned, Hinata took advantage of the opportunity by delivering three hard palms to Sakura's gut.

'Brutal…' Everyone, including Hino thought in unison.

Sakura was still standing, while in shock of how weak she was, continued to fight. She pulled back for a punch hoping to catch Hinata for some reason. Before she could even deliver the punch, however, Hinata jumped up into a spin and mid-way extended her leg, imitating a ceiling fan and rammed both feet, one at a time, into Sakura's right temple, instantly throwing her head-first into the ground – unconscious.

The class was silent, as was Hino.

"Hinata wins by technical forfeit. Hinata, please deliver Sakura to the nurse seeing as you knocked her out…" The girl felt a bit guilty but knew she did nothing wrong. 'Where did that come from?' She thought.

"Next, I suppose, will be Kiba Inuzuka versus Shino Aburame."

"Aw c'mon sensei! Why put me up against the creepy kid?" Kiba griped.

"Observant and smart kid" Naruto corrected

"Who asked you, shorty?" Kiba shot back

Naruto smirked and before he could retaliate, Hino interrupted.

"Just make the sign and spar. No but's"

Grumbling and mumbling to himself, Kiba complied.

After making the sign they both jumped back and Kiba ran forward with a flurry of punches. Light on his feet and calm, Shino carefully dodged every single hit before finally one caught him on the side. Shino fell down, earning Kiba a point.

"One for Kiba" Hino said, bored.

Standing back up, Shino prepared himself for the next flurry of hits. 'This one is very ambitious and shortsighted, I see' He thought. 'I will be able to take advantage of this fact'

After surviving the onslaught of attacks from Kiba for long enough, Shino side-stepped from a heavy hit and quickly and accurately chopped Kiba on the next, both numbing his body for a second and sending a shock down his spine. Kiba dropped like a sack of flower, earning Shino a point.

"One for Shino"

Kiba got up after about five to ten seconds and stood calmed down a bit. He approached Shino slowly and waited for him to make the first move, which he eventually did. Shino aimed a kick at Kiba's side which was blocked and thrown away, causing Shino to come to a roll and stand back up, only to be greeted by Kiba's foot to the side of his head, taking him to the ground.

"One for Kiba. One more and he wins"

Instead of getting up, Shino simple sat legs crossed on the ground, earning a confused look from not only Kiba, but everyone else.

The confusion was quickly answered when Kiba passed out and a bug came flying from his collar.

"Seeing as Kiba is out cold, Shino is the winner. Care to explain what you did, Shino?"

"Nakachi beatle. It's bite injects one with a high dosage of melatonin, putting them to sleep." Shino calmly explained.

"Ah, well alright. I suppose that's allowed." Hino was a bit taken back by the strategy. Not something you see often in first year academy students. Damn clan heirs.

"Next will be Ino Yamanaka versus Lima Takatana."

That fight went by rather unevenfully with Ino scoring three points in the end and Lima getting one.

"Congratulations Ino. Next up we have Shikamaru Nara versus Choji Akamichi" This elicited a worried look from Choji as the two opponents stepped up and made the Seal of Confrontation.

Shikamaru quickly saw the worried look in his friend's face and made an easy decision.

"I give up."

"What? Why?" Hino, along with everyone else was dumbfounded.

"I'm just not in the mood" Shikamaru said, shooting a smile to Choji, who seemed extremely relieved at not having to fight a friend.

"Fine, fine. Choji is the winner, I suppose."

Shikamaru and Choji made the Seal of Reconciliation and parted ways.

Now was one that Hino had personally been waiting for.

"Next up, Sasuke Uchiha versus Naruto Uzumaki." This brought a fire to Naruto's eyes and surprisingly to him, nothing to Sasuke's.

They approached each other and Naruto stuck out his hand for the first Seal. He felt a pain in his chest when Sasuke stared at him coldly without moving his own hand.

"Sasuke, make the seal so we can begin the match." Hino instructed, taking a good guess at the Uchiha's sudden change of personality.

"Sasuke, what's the big idea?" Naruto whispered to his friend, putting his hand down.

"Just shut up and fight me." Sasuke coldly replied.

Naruto felt that same pain in his chest, now connecting it to his heart. He really needed to find out just what happened to his only friend. Did he do something wrong? He refused to let his first friend slip away that easily.

Realizing he had no choice, Hino chose to signal the start of the match by chopping a hand down the air.

Sasuke, with a surprising speed for a first year academy student delivered a crushing kick to Naruto's head, knocking him to the ground in an instant.

"Agh!" Naruto cried, holding his head before getting on his knees and propping himself up.

"One… point for Sasuke…" Hino was shocked at the ruthlessness of Sasuke's attack. The rest of the class was silently observing, some mouths hanging open and eyes wide.

Before Naruto could fully get back up and recover, Sasuke delivered a hard shin to Naruto's shoulder, throwing him a few feet before skidding another foot.

"Sasuke..!" Hino almost interjected before Naruto beat him to it

"No… Don't interrupt, sensei… Let us fight just like everyone else…" Naruto said weakly as he was standing up and brushing himself off. It was evident he was in pain not only physically but in other ways also.

Sasuke sped towards his friend looking to finish the fight. He'd never admit it, but hurting his friend was hurting him just as much. The class was watching as Sasuke's foot swung towards a weak looking Naruto's head once more. This fight was over.

' _slap'_

Naruto caught Sasuke's foot mid-swing and threw him at least five feet away. Not only did this surprise everyone, but it also impressed them. Even Sasuke couldn't help but feel some relief. That kick had enough power to take him out for the rest of the day.

Naruto followed his friend while he was in the air and caught him in a sweep the instant he landed. Sasuke, falling to the ground, twisted in a way that put him in place to land correctly, but instead used his time in the air to launch a kick to Naruto's midsection only to be blocked. Finally landing, Sasuke threw a fist at Naruto's face. Naruto leaned to the right and chopped Sasuke's side.

Stumbling a bit, Sasuke ducked down and delivered two palms to Naruto's stomach, which he responded by catching Sasuke in the face with a fist on his way up from the duck. This launched Sasuke head-first onto the ground.

Stunned, Hino awarded the point to Naruto. Hinata had since returned to witness the match and felt a bit of pride in her crush.

Sasuke stood up and actually smiled at Naruto, which didn't go unnoticed by anyone. He ran forward, slid about a foot, and went for a sweep, which Naruto jumped over only to have Sasuke grab his foot and pull directly downward causing Naruto to land quite awkwardly and messing up his knee, but he didn't fall. Instead, he jumped back and let Sasuke recover himself.

The two standing still staring at each other with the same hint of eagerness displayed in their previous private spars, finally ran toward the other. Naruto half-launched a kick before suddenly pulling back and instead leapt into the air and using the moment of surprise, pushed the other foot into Sasuke's face. Sending Sasuke flying backwards and earning a point, Naruto felt proud of himself.

'Time to end this' Sasuke thought before walking up to Naruto calmly. The blonde was confused and careful now. He didn't put too much thought into what was going on as Sasuke was approaching him slowly and did the only thing he thought to; hit him. He threw the punch and an instant before it could connect, Sasuke disappeared. 'Where did he…' He didn't finish the thought before feeling a sharp pain to the neck and falling unconscious.

"Sasuke… is the winner" Hino and the rest of the class were shocked at the fight. That's not the level a year one academy student should be fighting at…

There were whispers amongst the class as Sasuke carried Naruto to the school nurse.

* * *

The rest of the year went by seamlessly as Naruto and Sasuke weren't called to spar again, instead fighting other people. The two didn't speak from that day and resorted to only sending and receiving occasional glared from one another. They were both, however, the topic of much of the conversation that went on in the classroom. They knew this, but neither cared enough to act upon it.

Sasuke started to slack off and sometimes even not show up to class. He didn't often like being reminded of the thing he'd have to do to achieve his goal. He would need to kill his closest friend. To break any bond he may have. He didn't want to get to the point where he couldn't do it.

Naruto, however, went every day, studied, and tried his best, earning him the place as top of his class. Of course that didn't help with making friends at all, seeing as he still caught an interest in playing pranks and acting up. Just another way to get attention, seeing as his only friend was rarely ever there. Girls still chose to admire Sasuke endlessly and fight over him, while still thinking Naruto to be annoying. Talented, but annoying. No one really knew how to compare the two in terms of strength though considering Sasuke was, again, never there.

With Naruto top of his class, and Sasuke dead last, the two supposedly equal in strength, that begins the next chapter of their lives: Graduation.

* * *

 **What do you guys think? If you have any questions, please put it in a review. I really appreciate those. So much so that I decided to keep my chapters until someone reviews the last. Once the chapter gets a review, I will release the next one! :p Thanks, guys!**


	3. Interlude

**Chapter 3: Interlude**

 **Review Response:**

 **Yuu101cutie: Thank you :p Means a lot. I never really liked how in most stories I read, Naruto's teachers in the academy were instantly rude towards him. Sometimes it fit when played out just right but I find it silly in general. Also about Sasuke, I have very specific plans for him so just please stay tuned! I'll just say that the highlight on his and Naruto's relationship before the massacre was necessary.**

 **Onto the chapter!**

* * *

'Ugh… What time is it' the half-awake figure asked himself. 'I have to fail those kids today…'

Taking his sweet, merry time, he gracefully slipped into his navy blue under-armor and buckled on his forest green flak jacket.

He slipped up his mask and tied on his headband without a single regard to his nappy bed hair and went on his way to training field 7 to meet his team. He should be about…

* * *

"An hour late… Sensei, shouldn't you be the one on time out of us? Not the only one who's always late!" Nabaki, a freshly-graduated Genin yelled, exasperated at Kakashi's antics.

His two teammates, Kinta and Umani's faces expressed their opinions well enough. Being twin orphans, they both grew up only with each other, therefore turning out just a tad shy.

"Sorry, guys. Had to rescue a cat from some rapids. Cats do the weirdest things sometimes, huh?"

"Yeah, yeah, let's just get on with this 'test' you're giving us so we can be ninja already! I want to start on some kickass missions!"

'He's an impatient one...' Kakashi reached in his pockets and pulled out a pair of small silver bells attached by a single red thread.

"Bells, sensei?" Umani finally spoke out.

"Nice observation. Yes, bells. Your goal is to try to take them from me. Anyone that doesn't get a bell misses lunch, and, well, gets sent back to the academy. You have until noon."

"But if there are only two then…"

"Yep. One of you will definitely fail. Oh also, not only will the ones not able to eat lunch, but because I'm evil, they will have to watch the rest of us eat ours in front of them." Kakashi gave a short eye smile before starting.

"Begin"

Nabaki almost immediately charged Kakashi who instead of humoring him, simply disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Wha… What?" Was all Nabaki got out before being interrupted by…

"Earth Release: Inner Decapitation Jutsu!"

Nabaki was completely surrounded by earth from the neck down. "What the hell!" He shouted aimlessly.

"Don't let yourself get trapped" was all he got from his sensei.

Kakashi didn't have time to bask in his own glory before having to dodge shuriken coming dead at him. One from his left came about shoulder level, while another one came from behind towards his leg. Cutting a backflip he dodged both. As if in slow motion he noticed Umani come up from the ground and reach for the bells. He substituted himself for a log a few yards away as Umani dove back into the ground. Before being able to rest much, he had a small fireball heading his way from the forest. 'So Kinta is attacking me from hiding while his sister goes for the bells…'

Kakashi used the direction the fireball came from to direct his sense of smell. Sniffing Kinta out, he was about to leap towards him just as Umani came from the rocky ground, peeling up grass and soil and grabbed his leg. Easily enough, he used a quick shunshin to escape. She had a surprisingly firm grasp.

* * *

Kinta was running through the forest in order to avoid detection while throwing several kunai when all of a sudden-

"Gotcha" He was grabbed by the collar and thrown out into the opening near Nabaki before being put into the same predicament his teammate was in: 5 feet deep in the ground.

Umani sensed her brother being caught and peeped for just a second to make sure. That second was all Kakashi needed to jutsu her up out of the ground, only to put her right back in.

"Nice going, guys…" Nabaki pouted, a little sore from being stuck in the hole. The twins both had a downcast look on their faces, probably in shame that they couldn't get a bell. Not one of them realizing the true purpose of the test.

"Well, well… You were all caught before even one bell was taken. Kinta, Umani, you both showed a good display of teamwork, with only one major flaw: you both forgot about your other teammate. Not one of you made even the slightest attempt at freeing him. That reason is why you all, sadly… fail."

"But Kakashi-sensei! C'mon! One more chance, please? I promise I'll try harder"

"Try again next year then. Ja ne!" Kakashi said before disappearing in a puff of smoke, wanting desperately to go back to sleep.

* * *

A poorly treated, bullied, and worn down wooden post lay crooked in the ground with an exhausted blonde meditating next to it. Naruto's hair had grown out some and he now had two long bangs going down either side of his face with the same ruffled hair in the back. He wore a white hoodie with orange stripes down the arms and sides and normal navy blue pants, having a kunai holster on his left leg.

Opening his eyes quite suddenly he spoke. "Y'know, I've been having strange feelings lately…"

About fifteen yards away, a figure shifted very slightly in the trees.

"For about the past year actually. Almost like someone has been following me. They were only feelings for a while, until I learned to meditate and sharpen my senses. Who are you and why are you following me? You must be talented considering you've the slightest chakra signature. It took me this long to even be able to feel it."

Realizing he had no choice, the masked figure hopped down from the trees and knelt next to Naruto.

"Call me Bear. I've been assigned by the Hokage to protect you. I apologize; you were never supposed to know I was here." The ANBU agent spoke with sincerity. Naruto had a blank look on his face with only a hint of confusion. "Actually, if I may ask, just how did you sense me? From what I believe, you haven't even graduated the academy."

"Not sure… just a feeling like I said. But why now? Why only just start following me? I've had this beast my entire life, so why just start following me?"

Bear was shocked at that statement. 'He knows? He could also sense me… how good is this kid?'

"I just take the orders, so I have no answer to your question."

"Hmph. Well alright. Sorry for disrupting you. You can return to stalking me now" Naruto said with a smile.

Bear seemed emotionless as he returned to the trees, but that's only because of his mask. He also had a slight smile on his face. He was still relatively new to this job and even newer to watching the boy. He was certainly interested and was eager to learn more about Naruto. To get a full measure of his strength, but not now.

* * *

Memories of Itachi towering over his dead parents invaded Sasuke's mind as he tried to sleep. He had already taken numerous pills just to get through one more miserable night. Fighting his mind proved to be futile once he kept recalling his brother's words to him… 'no… that man isn't my brother, not anymore. He is an abomination. A mistake of the clan. I WILL kill him and restore my family' Sasuke thought to himself as he lies there, tears of anger flowing from his eyes which are red from rubbing them so much. "Aagh!" He threw his pillow at the wall, trudging angrily out the door. He needed to go for a walk.

* * *

Naruto was making his way home after a long day of training. He was worn out and craved a good five hours at least. The road was mostly empty at this time of night. Not many people like to walk about at three in the morning. Bear was still following him as guarding Naruto's apartment was part of the job.

"So what do you do when I'm asleep, Mr. ANBU guy?" Naruto teased

"Bear, please call me Bear. And I take shifts with whoever is assigned to relieve me that night to sleep, but I stay near you at all times."

'Huh, creepy' Naruto thought.

After a minute or so of walking, Naruto and Bear spotted a figure walking the opposite direction in the distance. 'I wonder who that-' Naruto was cut off in recognition.

"Sasuke?"

Sasuke was now about 20 feet away from Naruto and heard him call his name, but chose to ignore it.

"Sasuke!" Naruto saw his bloodshot eyes and knew something was wrong.

"Go away, loser" Sasuke had developed some kind of ego from being the sole survivor of the fabled Uchiha clan. He had since developed some sort of dislike for Naruto for diverting some of his 'well-deserved attention'.

"Sasuke, what's wro-" Naruto couldn't finish before being sent flying by a fist he wasn't expecting. He was about to retaliate when Bear shook his head at him, telling him not to.

When Sasuke left and continued on his walk, Bear appeared in front of Naruto.

"Never enter a battle not worth fighting, Naruto. While I find it hard to believe someone who could sense an ANBU would have any trouble taking care of a moody Uchiha brat, it's best that you hide your true power from now on. Underestimation is one of the biggest advantages you can have."

"So what? You're saying I just shouldn't protect myself?" Naruto raised his voice while still in a whisper.

"Of course not, just learn when to retreat when it's best for you. Your life wasn't in danger. I'm here to protect you, but I'm also not supposed to be revealed to anyone. It's hard to stay hidden if you're getting in fights all the time… Just pick your battles, Naruto."

"Fine… Yes sir…" It almost seemed like Bear… cared for Naruto? That wasn't a feeling he felt too often. Most of his class thought he was a nuisance so it was rare someone cared about his well-being.

From then on, Naruto took Bear's advice. If everyone wanted to see him as a loser, then he'd just give them what they wanted.

Sasuke couldn't stand the sleepless nights and endless boredom. He decided start going to class when the year started. He would reclaim his position as top student of the year and he would graduate to get the training of a Jounin in order to kill that man that has been haunting his dreams and his life for so long.

* * *

"What do you think Sasuke-kun likes in a girl, Ino?" Sakura asked attentively.

"I don't know but I must be doing something right. I mean have you seen the way he looks at me in class?" The bleach-blonde was almost daydreaming.

"Yeah right! He totally wants me! Cha!" Sakura's hand sped to cover her mouth. She always had that weird verbal quirk and never knew where it came from.

"We'll see, forehead"

"Damn right, Ino-pig!"

Changing attitude completely, Ino seemed like she was deep in thought.

"What's up?" Sakura asked

"Ah, it's nothing. Just wondering… Why don't you ever talk to Naruto?"

"What? Because he's an annoying idiot… why?"

"Why is he an idiot? He's at the top of our class and he only really plays pranks to get some attention" Ino half-way defended Naruto

"What's up with the sudden sympathy for him? You're not getting a crush on him are you…?" Sakura was almost shocked at the idea.

"Ew! No! I was just wondering, Y'Know?" Yamanaka quickly defended herself.

"Well whatever, you may have to settle for him anyway because Sasuke-kun is mine!" Sakura proudly declared as she got up. "Dinner is about to be ready so come help me set up, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah whatever, forehead. You can keep dreaming while we eat."

* * *

Crossed legged with his hands making a sort of 'O' shape, Shikamaru sat planning his next move. He could sacrifice another pawn in order to take out his opponent's lance in the long run, or he could…

"Shika, you know I have places to be, don't you?" Shikaku Nara, Shikamaru's father said with a laugh. The game of Shogi was a tricky one won only with strategy and, ironically enough, patience.

"Alright, dad, if you insist" Shikamaru said with a glint in his eyes as he crosses his Knight over three spaces diagonally left, bursting through his father's defenses and taking out his king.

"Damn, always have something up your sleeve, don't you" Shikaku cursed playfully. "Anyways, I'll see you later Shika."

"Later, dad" the boy said lazily. While he never showed much effort, he was probably the brightest mind of the next generation.

* * *

"Eight Trigrams: Thirty-Two Palms!"

"Two!"

"Four!"

"Eight!" At that she slipped up and lost rhythm.

"You're making progress, Hinata, but you need more practice." Hiashi Hyuuga said with a stern voice.

"Yes, father. I will try harder next time…" Hinata said in between breaths. She had been up to this all day for at least six hours now.

"You are finished for today. Tomorrow I expect you to get through eight palms and be on your way toward sixteen."

"Yes, father." At that, Hinata went on her way exiting the Hyuuga compound, ignoring an angry look from Neji, her cousin. She desperately wanted some frozen yogurt and intended to get some if it was the last thing she did.

* * *

Walking down the street, she strode with the confidence of a proud Hyuuga. She had seen the way Naruto fought with grace and conviction so long ago against Sasuke and ever since. She couldn't let herself be left in the dust by the boy who inspires her. She needs to walk beside him and not always in his footsteps. She had spent a long time simply talking to more people in hoped to break out of her shell, and it was working wonders. She now has a more authoritative voice, while still being soft and sweet, she has also just about lost her stutter. She used to have a deep reluctance to hurt anyone, but that slowly faded as her resolve thickened. You could say that Naruto's strength was almost directly related to hers. He was her rock, her courage, and her will. One day he would hopefully also be her-

"Ah! I'm so sorry! I was caught up in my book." Naruto spurted out before realizing who is was he bumped into.

"Oh, hey Hinata-chan." Didn't notice it was you." He offered a warm smile only to be greeted with a beet red and speechless Hinata.

"Ah… um… are you okay?" He asked, putting his hand on her forehead to check for a temperature. After about three seconds he decided she was fever free.

"Eep!" Was all she squealed before substituting herself with trash can from some nearby alley.

"Well… That was weird…" Naruto spoke to Bear, who flared his chakra just enough for Naruto to feel it in agreement.

She's more confident in her fighting at least… Maybe Naruto is still a weak spot for her.

Summer is nearly at an end and everyone is preparing for their final year at the academy, their last year in the way of their career as ninjas. They all knew the dangers of the road they chose, which is why they are all training their hardest to protect not only themselves, but their comrades too. Only the future can tell their fate.

* * *

"Naruto knows, Lord Hokage" Bear said, kneeling down in front of Hiruzen.

"Knows what?" He replied skeptically.

"Of me. He sensed me, sir. And… something else…"

"What? That absurd. How could he sense you, an operative of the ANBU? He's just a child!" His tone was rising. After calming down he continued "What else does he know?"

"The Kyuubi, Lord Hokage. He knows of the Nine Tails." Bear wasn't gladly awaiting the Hokage's reaction to what he just said.

"… How?" Was all he managed.

"I have no clue, Lord. He simply told me he figured that was the reason I was following him. Is he right?" Bear asked curiously.

"That is far from the only reason. That boy is special… He will grow into a fine shinobi and an even greater man. I wish to protect oncoming legends, Bear. That is all. You are dismissed." Hiruzen shrugged the incident off but still keeping it in the back of his mind. Just how did Naruto come to find out about the Kyuubi?

"Actually, Sir, there is one more thing I'd like to ask of you…" He almost seemed nervous through the mask.

"What is it, Bear?"

"I'd like your permission to train Naruto. I see the same thing you must in him. I'd like to get to know him better"

Hiruzen was happily surprised to hear this. 'So you're finally making friends, huh, Naruto?'

"Very well, you may train young Naruto. I leave him in your trustworthy hands, Bear" The Hokage said with a warm grandfatherly smile.

"Thank you so much, sir. I will turn him into a fine shinobi by time he gets assigned to a team." Bear excitedly stood up, forgetting his manners, not that it mattered anymore.

"I trust you will. Have a good day." Sarutobi said, dismissing the ANBU agent in which he followed by disappearing in a blur of speed.

'You really will become a fine Shinobi, won't you, Naruto?' I'm eager to see where your adventures take you.' Hiruzen thought to himself, staring out his window facing the village and providing a beautiful view of it too.

* * *

Wooh! I passed up my last chapter in word count. This chapter being 3k words. I hope to make the next one 4k maybe :D Hope you guys are enjoying so far and remember, please review!

P.S: Yes, I am making Hinata stronger along with giving Naruto an ANBU friend whom I have plans for in the future ;)

Until next time!

Next Chapter: Year 5, Graduation Awaits!


	4. Rivalry, Regret, and Recollection

**Chapter Four: Rivalry, Regret, and Recollection**

The first day of school always brings with it this special sense of anxiety. Unlike anything else, this feeling inspires even the laziest of kids. Whether your goal is to better yourself or simply just to enjoy yourself, the first day of school always makes your gut churn in nerve. That was the feeling Naruto and the rest of his class, which now included Sasuke, felt as they found their assigned seats which were posted on the wall outside the classroom. They awaited their fifth year instructor, hoping to get someone easy to work with unlike the one last year who only cared about lecturing and not about any physical activity. Their waiting was finally put to an end when Iruka Umino entered the room. He was wearing a typical Chuunin outfit, had a scar lying across the bridge of his nose, and had his ruffled up hair tied back in a pony-tail.

"Hello class. My name is Iruka and I'll be acting as this year's instructor for you guys. I only expect cooperation and awareness from all of you and this year should go by smoothly. During this course we will be going over the ninjutsu essentials, more advanced taijutsu katas, and various kenjutsu forms. Any questions?" Iruka was always at least a little nervous when meeting a new class, but at the same time he was always determined to find the strengths and weaknesses of each and every single one of them. He quickly spotted Naruto out amongst the crowd. It wasn't that he held any harsh feelings for the boy whatsoever, in fact it was the opposite. He admired Naruto for carrying the burden of being a Jinchūriki. He just felt odd teaching the boy who carried the beast that killed his parents. He remembered Kakashi's words though and would do his best for this boy. He would keep an unbiased mind.

He was brought out of thought when noticing a student raised his hand. "Yes, uh…" he looked at the seating chart "Ino?"

"What jutsu will we be going over?" Whew he got her name right. He was horrible with names and it was a blessing when he got names right.

"We will be going over Kawarimi no Jutsu, Henge no Jutsu, and Bunshin no Jutsu, but you will only be required to learn the latter two for graduation exams" Iruka then began going over Just how to perform the three aforementioned jutsu which most of the kids ignored having been from clans, they already knew all of them save for the clone jutsu. That one sounded complex. It was something about imagining yourself and using your chakra to form that image. Kind of like a henge except for outside of your body.

Everyone's attention was reigned back in when Iruka announced a first-day kunai throwing contest in order to judge the skill of the class. It seemed this year was the year they finally broke free of paperwork, which they were all thankful for.

"Meet me outside in the target practice area and we'll get started." Iruka said as he disappeared in a blur.

"I wanna learn to do that one day!" Some random kid said in awe.

* * *

Once everyone was outside, Iruka began explaining what will go down. "Alright, see the kunai on the tables? There are three for each student, meaning each student will get to throw three times. If you hit the outside black ring of the target, you get 1 point. If you hit the middle red ring, you get 3 points. If you hit the black bull's eye, you get 5 points. That is assuming you aim for the 10 yard one. The 30 yard one, however, is worth double. All of this meaning the maximum amount of points you can score is 30. That is a perfect score, although I am not expecting any of you to do that." The class nodded in understanding except for Sasuke who only had a smirk on his face.

"First up is Shino Aburame."

Shino stepped up, grabbed a kunai and held it in stance for a while, feeling the wind pressure and direction. After about 5 seconds, he threw it towards the 10 yard target, hitting the middle red ring. He grabbed another kunai and repeated the process but this time hitting the center. Once again he threw his last kunai, hitting the red middle.

"11 points for Shino. Work on flicking your wrist more sharply and have less of an arc."

"Next up is Choji Akamichi"

Choji stood up from his sitting position and put down his bag of chips. This meant he was serious as he didn't do that often. He grabbed a kunai and without too much preparation, threw it as it hit the outer black circle of the 10 yard target. He grabbed another kunai but this time breathed and relaxed, throwing it, hitting the red middle circle. Wanting to end in a bang, he focused the most on the last kunai, getting it to hit the center black.

"9 points to Choji. Make sure to relax and focus more when throwing. You're too hasty."

"Next up, Sakura Haruno."

Nervous, Sakura weakly walked up to the table and grabbed a kunai. She held it in the best grip she could but when she threw it, her wrist did something she didn't mean to do and she didn't even hit the target. Being the smart person she is, she fixed that problem, threw again, and hit the middle red circle. Feeling confident, she aimed at the 30 yard target for her next throw and managed to hit the black outside circle.

"5 points to Sakura. Sakura, nice work on correcting yourself, but take it slow. Don't get overconfident."

"Next up, Hinata Hyuuga."

Hinata both confidently and nervously stepped up. She couldn't make a fool of herself in front of Naruto. She carefully grabbed a kunai, aimed it towards the 30 yard target, and flicked her wrist gracefully, hitting the middle red ring. Limiting herself, she resigned to spending the last two kunai on the 10 yard bull's eye.

"Impressive, Hinata. You have 16 points, but be careful not to overestimate your own strength. I'm impressed, however." That filled Hinata with pride. When she turned around to see Naruto smiling at her, however, it filled her with red. She was blushing like a tomato.

Naruto looked at Hinata with a newfound interest. Besides him and Sasuke, she was the most promising student in his eyes. He would have to talk to her. Maybe they could train together one day. He missed having someone his age to spar with and Sasuke was off limits for obvious reasons.

"Next up, Kiba Inuzuka"

Kiba being confident but not stupid, stepped up and sunk all of his kunai into the 10 yard center not wanting to take the chance of missing the 30 yard target.

"Good job, 15 points."

"Next up, Shikamaru Nara."

Casually strolling up, Shikamaru decided on getting an average score, so he sunk all kunai in the 10 yard center.

"Nice work Shikamaru, but I'm almost positive you could have done better. Please strive to be your best, and not simply average." Iruka lectured.

"Next up, Ino Yamanaka."

She was only interested in showing Sakura up, so she grabbed her first kunai, and with a flick of the wrist, sunk it in the middle red ring of the 10 yard target. She then got the second and third kunai at the same time and threw them. One sunk in the bull's eye, and the other in the middle red ring.

"11 points for Ino. No need to try and show off."

"Next up, Sasuke Uchiha" He was waiting to get a good measure on the Uchiha's skill.

Sasuke strolled up confidently with a smirk and grabbed all three kunai at once and threw them, every single one sinking in the bulls eye of the 30 yard target. This got his fangirls swooning in overtime.

"Very impressive, Sasuke. 30 points." He was expecting something along those lines so he wasn't too surprised.

"Next up, Naruto Uzumaki." 'This one should be interesting'

Naruto lazily strolled up and grabbed only one kunai, intending to let Sasuke get a flashier 30 points than him. He was sticking true to Bear's advice in some way. He threw the kunai, implanting it in the center of the 30 yard target. Wanting to get it over with, he allowed himself one cool trick. He grabbed the remaining two kunai, turned around and took in the confusion of his class and his instructor before cutting a backflip and throwing the two kunai mid flip, sticking them in the 30 yard bulls eye before even landing. Admiring his work, he turned around and basked in the impressed faces of the audience.

"30 points to Naruto. While pointless, what you did was impressive. I don't want to see it again, however. Stick to normal throwing technique." Iruka said after getting over the mild shock. 'I should look into this kid.' He thought.

"Sorry sensei won't happen again." Naruto said with a mischievous grin. As he walked back to the crown and heard some compliments, they were all drowned out by the angry look he was getting from Sasuke. He may have just declared Naruto his rival.

* * *

 **-FLASHFORWARD-**

"I'm so sorry…" Naruto whispered to the large stone. "I'm trying so hard… I really am… I just don't know if I can do this anymore alone" A single tear flowed down his face. The sensation of the tear was drowned out by the pain of how hard he was clenching his fist. Pounding the ground and shaking he cried "Damn it! Why did it have to happen like this?!"

"You're not alone, Naruto… I'm always here for you" A figure called out from behind him.

* * *

"Agh!" Naruto yelped after making another sickly clone. "What am I doing wrong?!" the boy was growing impatient. "I'm going through all the hand signs and I'm molding my chakra just how sensei said to" he complained.

"I think you're putting too much chakra into it. Just a wild guess." Bear said sarcastically. The boy was putting enough chakra into one clone to make fifty at the least.

"Yeah, yeah, I know but this is my minimum. I can't put any less" he pouted

'Just how much chakra does this kid have…' Bear was perplexed for a minute before something clicked,

"I have an idea, Naruto. I will be right back, alright?" The question was more of a formality. Bear signaled for his replacement to replace him until he returned.

"Uh, yeah… I guess. Where are you go-" Naruto couldn't finish before Bear was gone and a man in a cat mask appeared in his place. Naruto figured his name was 'Cat'.

* * *

Bear appeared in front of the Hokage's desk kneeling before realizing he wasn't there. Awkwardly walking out of the room, he turned to the secretary usually posted outside. "Uh, hi, do you know where I can find Hokage-sama?" he inquired politely.

"I'm sorry, he's not here at the moment. He said he had some business to take care of. Actually, he should be back shortly if you won't mind waiting." The secretary replied frantically with a smile. It looked like the poor woman was buried in paperwork.

"Thank you for your help, ma'am" Bear's professional tone returned. He decided since he had some free time to go grab some dango before they were sold out again. Every time he goes late at night they always say some scary woman bought the last of it… odd. Henging out of his ANBU uniform, he happily got the snack he wanted. It'd be the last time in a while he would be able to properly enjoy something like that so he took his sweet time in eating it. After finishing, he released the henge out of sight and returned to the Hokage's office, this time while the old man was present.

"Ah, Bear. I heard you were looking for me?"

"Yes, sir. I have a request concerning Naruto's training."

"How is that going, by the way?" Hiruzen was curious to know Naruto's full strength, being the son of a legend, whether he himself knew it or not.

"It's going fine except for one thing. The reason I am here."

"Hm?" He was interested.

"Naruto can't perform a single bunshin, but the reason isn't because of a lack of skill. I believe he has a surplus of chakra, making it harder to use the miniscule amount needed for a single clone." Bear explained.

"Yes, yes. Most likely from his Uzumaki lineage. What do you propose?"

"I wish to teach him the Kage Bunshin." Bear said hopefully

Hiruzen was genuinely surprised at that notion. The Kage Bunshin was a 'B' ranked jutsu, meaning it was potentially dangerous to someone as young as Naruto. It wasn't meant for an academy student to learn. "You do realize that jutsu can be potentially harmful to the boy, right?" Hiruzen checked

"Yes sir, but I've noticed something in Naruto. He has the will to never give up, and for that, I have faith in him. I believe he can learn this jutsu. Besides, it's only harmful from the chakra it consumes, right? We've already confirmed his vast reserves." Bear found himself defending Naruto even only after a few weeks of training him.

Hiruzen sighed, "Fine. You may attempt to teach Naruto that jutsu, but you'd better be prepared if he hurts himself. He's like a grandson to me. Remember that." He warned.

"Yes sir, thank you. May I be dismissed?" Bear was eager to teach his new student once more.

"Good luck, Bear" Hiruzen waved him off as he vanished.

* * *

Sasuke stood on one leg, the other crossed over at knee level. His hands were clasped flatly together and his eyes were shut. He was on a thin wooden post meditating. He has been doing it more often ever since that night he saw Naruto. He needed to stay calm and this was a way to do it. It also allowed for deeper thinking with a clear mind. Clear of hatred, clear of vengeance, but only for a short time. What happens when I kill Itachi? What then? Do I just go back to the Leaf expecting all to be okay? Will I really be able to kill Naruto? Is this really what I want? It's not like Sasuke never thought of these things. In fact, he thought of them a little too much… the questions plagued his mind. That was the reason he was so quiet all the time. Every time he was around the blonde, however, he couldn't think straight. Naruto just infuriated him and he didn't know why. Maybe he just couldn't stand the idea of someone being better than him. That couldn't happen if he wanted to avenge his clan. He needed to be the strongest there is, because that is how he saw Itachi, and he wasn't too far off. The man was a prodigy and a genius. Could he really become powerful enough to take him down? Could he even find it in him to kill his brother after all they had been through? No matter what, Itachi was always his brother and deep down he would never forget that.

* * *

Naruto had given up on practicing making a clone seeing it as being futile; pointless. He resorted to lying on the ground waiting for Bear to return. The two were starting to form something of a friendship. Bear would train him every day after school and protect him while he slept. If that's not friendly then he didn't know what was. He didn't know how old Bear was so he couldn't really name him a father figure, so he stuck to friend. But that was more than could ask for, so he was happy. Speaking of him, actually, the ANBU had finally returned, holding a scroll.

"Took ya' long enough" Naruto moaned grumpily. He had been waiting for the better part of an hour.

"Sorry, sorry, but I came back with a gift" Bear said, rubbing the back of his head. He then signaled for Cat to retreat back into the trees, relieving him for now. Cat waved two fingers at Naruto, who waved back, then he disappeared.

"What's the scroll for?" Naruto eyed the rolled up paper in his mentor's hand.

"Here, take a look. I figured this would be a lot easier for you than trying to make a plain old bunshin" Bear tossed the scroll to Naruto, who untied it and gave it a look for about three minutes.

"So it's another clone jutsu? But this one makes a solid copy as opposed to the intangible normal version, and ooh! That's cool! It retains information and sends it back to the user when dismissed. Good for spying I suppose."

"And training. Just think, if you practice something once with 10 clones, you have basically practiced 10 times. However, I think you may be the only person I know who will be able to undergo this type of training." Bear explained, mesmerizing Naruto even more.

"Then why do we learn the normal bunshin instead of this one?" Naruto asked

"Well this one takes a lot of chakra, Naruto. You're technically not supposed to know this until you are at least a Chuunin. It is very dangerous and can have physical and mental risks. But I believe in you not to overdo it." Bear explained and complimented Naruto.

"I understand the physical risks, but what about the mental ones? What could it do to my head?"

"You have to understand, you'd be taking in memories from multiple clones all at once. I'd imagine the longer you keep the clones up and running, the bigger headache you'd have" Bear simplified things, remembering that no matter how talented, Naruto is still a child.

"I'm sure I can handle a headache, Bear. I promise I won't overdo it though" Naruto said excitedly, eager to get started on this jutsu.

"Thank you. Now how about you get started learning this? I'll be watching from the trees" Bear said before leaping back into the forest surrounding the clearing they had been using to train. He watched as Naruto practiced the tiger seal and began to flow his chakra the way the scroll described. He had been at it for an hour before Bear came back down and called the training to an end. Naruto looked exhausted and needed rest, and so did Bear.

* * *

Days later as class was ending for the day, Naruto decided to catch up with Hinata before she left. He had been thinking about asking her to train with him ever since the kunai throwing competition. He paced towards Hinata looking for her attention.

"Hey, Hinata!" He called. She stopped and looked back. When she realized it was him, just about a thousand thoughts crossed her mind. Possibilities and scenarios of why he would be calling her name. She didn't blush too violently thanks to her confidence training and only developed a red tint but answered him nonetheless.

"Hai, Naruto-kun?" She near whispered. Her soft tone still Intact. At least she can talk to him now without stuttering like an idiot

"I'm a little late but you really impressed me with your throwing skills. You're pretty good!" He said with a smile.

'I'm… g-good?' Hinata almost couldn't believe he complimented her. It meant more than he could imagine. "Th-thank you, Naruto-kun" she was blushing even more.

"Hey, no problem. I was actually also wondering if you maybe wanted to train… with me sometime?" He was the one who almost stuttered that time. He knew he didn't mean anything by it but asking a girl to train with you was a way of flirting, and he had obviously never flirted before. Not even with Sakura, who he thought was gorgeous but rather annoying.

'No way… no way… no way…' Hinata didn't know if he meant that the way she had hoped or not, but frankly, she didn't give a damn. He just asked her to spend time with him and she wouldn't pass that opportunity up. She calmed herself so she could give Naruto a straight answer.

'Of co-" She was cut off by Kō, coming to pick her up from school.

"It's time to go, Lady Hinata." Kō said politely, not sparing a glance towards Naruto, which he didn't mind. He did wish, however, that he would've gotten an answer from Hinata. It seemed like she wanted to, though. 'I'll have to ask her again another time, I suppose' he thought to himself as he watched Hinata and Kō walk away.

* * *

Naruto jumped towards Bear, launching a kick at his chin, which Bear easily blocked. The blonde then fell on his right hand, pivoting in a circle at a surprising speed, delivering another kick towards Bear's left side. The ANBU grabbed Naruto's leg but before he could throw him back, Naruto pushed himself up with his arm he pivoted on and sent an elbow into Bear's face. There was a surprising force in his strike and it knocked Bear back and forced him to let go of Naruto's leg.

As Bear recovered in the split second it took, Naruto pulled out a kunai that Bear loaned him and charged the ANBU. Bear was in a wide stance which Naruto took advantage of. Just as Naruto got close enough to Bear to make him think he was going to attack, he dropped and slid in between and through Bear's legs, throwing the kunai up right before. Catching it as he was behind Bear, Naruto went to put the kunai against his opponent's neck before he ducked down and flipped forward also kicking the kunai out of Naruto's hand in the process.

"You're getting a lot better, Naruto. I'm actually very proud of you" Bear said sincerely after catching his breath

"Yeah, yeah… You still won…" The pouting blonde said as he bullied the dust lightly with his foot.

Bear chuckled, "You're gonna have to get a lot better if you wanna beat me, Naruto. But hey, you did really good, and for that, how about I buy you some ramen? You know, for your hard work." He was delighted in seeing the boy's attitude do a 180 right into being the happiest kid on the earth.

"Really? You're the best, Bear!" The blonde's younger side kicked in as he enveloped the poor ANBU in a crushing hug. "Woah Ho Ho, slow it down there, buddy. I expect you to keep up this hard work even when I'm not available to train you, alright?"

"Of course! Now let's go, c'mon!" Naruto hurried off towards Ichiraku's with Bear in hand., smiling the entire way there.

'This boy is really something special.' Bear thought as he was being dragged to the death of his wallet.

* * *

 **-FLASHFORWARD-**

The relentless rain poured down on Sasuke's head, hiding the lone streak of tear coming from his eye. "I'm so sorry it had to come to this… It was my fault for driving him to do what he did… If I hadn't been so obsessed, you might just still be alive… I promise to never let this happen again, to anyone!" The Uchiha finished, gripping his hair with one hand and his pants with the other, letting rage bring about his crimson Mangekyou.

* * *

 **Whooh! 4k words! My precious chapters are getting longer and longer :) Anyways, please tell me what you think as I run off of review. I need them, guys, I really do. I need to know what you guys think of the flash forwards and the mystery behind them, and also I need to know what you think about what I'm doing with Naruto and Bear. Was it unreasonable or unrealistic that I let Bear teach Naruto the shadow clone? I don't think so, but please give me feedback. I look forward to knowing what you guys think!**

 **Until next time!**


	5. Kurama and Kakashi

**Chapter Five: Kurama and Kakashi**

* * *

"Four Palms!"

Naruto bobbed and weaved out of the way, avoiding having his chakra points closed.

"Eight Palms!"

This time one of the strikes caught him on the shoulder before he could recover.

"Sixteen palms!" Hinata shouted, putting all focus and effort into this move.

This time, three of the strikes managed to hit Naruto. He was starting to become shaky so Hinata decided to stop the move there. Thirty two was as far as she could get as of now anyways. Eight Trigrams: Sixty-Four palms was something that took an immense about of training and focus. Not a feat Hinata could yet accomplish. She has, however, made exponential progress ever since beginning her training with Naruto. He just lit some kind of flame inside of her she has never felt before.

The aforementioned blonde made a tiger seal and flooded his chakra system with a sudden burst of energy, opening back up the points that Hinata had closed. "You're getting a lot faster and a lot harder to dodge, Hinata" Naruto said in between pants. The dodging was exhausting enough, but surging enough chakra to open points back up was a lot more tiring.

"Arigato… Naruto-kun…" Hinata was just about equally as tired. While she didn't do quite as much labor as the blonde, she also didn't have his inhuman amounts of energy. Stretching and reaching for the sky, Naruto yawned out an appealing offer for the both of them. "Hey Hinata, what'd ya say we stop for the day and go get some ramen? I think we're both beat up enough for one day" The sky was already turning a rather beautiful shade of orange and velvet and the sound of various insects radiated the air.

Hinata gained a slight blush, limp-walking forward, crushing the grass beneath her feet ungracefully. It was hard to step lightly when you could barely breathe straight. "I'd like that" She breathed.

* * *

As they made their way down the road they caught a few odd or disgusted stares. Why would the Hyuuga heiress be accompanying the no-good demon boy? It was almost an insult to some, while only a minor curiosity to others.

"Man, the sky really is beautiful, isn't it, Hinata?" Naruto admired the hues above. He noticed the glared easily. It was quite hard to miss them after having to grow up getting used to them. He chose to speak in order to both kill the silence and to divert Hinata's attention away from those stares. She looked a bit nervous as if never having had the citizens look at her like her father did so many times.

"Hai… it really is" Hinata had an accidental frown on her face. To Naruto, she almost seemed sad.

"What is it, Hinata?" The blonde looked over, eyebrows scrunched and with the best worried face he could manage.

After a brief moment of staring at the ground she replied shyly, "Why do they look at you that way, Naruto?" The demon container was shocked. He couldn't say he was expecting that question. How could he even answer that? Could he explain something like that accurately? Before he could even try, Hinata began again. "What right do they have to judge you like that? Whatever you did to them, they have no right to look at you like that" Her voice was raising without her even realizing it. She began to speak again but found herself cut short by Naruto

"Stop… Hinata." He interrupted quietly and raspy. "Please, don't ask. I haven't done anything to them, but they have every right to have whatever opinion they do of me." He said emptily and determined at the same time.

"But-"

"Hinata." Naruto didn't want to have this conversation. "Can we just enjoy the rest of the day… please?" He put on a slight smile for her.

"Hai… I'm sorry, N-Naruto-kun" Her shyness returning, she replied. They were finally approaching Ichiraku's where Naruto ended up ordering only three bowls of Pork ramen and Hinata followed suit but with only one bowl. They didn't talk much save for the typical small talk, but they both exchanged various looks to each other. Getting up to leave, they were about to part ways before Naruto called out to her.

"Hey Hinata" he said, smiling both on the inside and on the outside.

"Y-yes, Naruto-kun?"

Naruto extended his fist and his smile lengthened to a broad toothy grin. "You're a good training partner and a great friend!" Hinata knew what his gesture was but only stood still at the suddenness of his comment. That was the first time he had really complimented her. With her eyes wide open, Hinata finally slowly stumbled over and softly put her smaller fist on his. Unintentionally, she too had a small smile on her face. Now instead of the violet-orange hue of the sky, it was instead a deep purple and blue, signifying nighttime. The moonlight shone on both of their faces and highlighted the moment perfectly. They then parted ways and headed back to their respective homes to sleep after a long, but satisfying day.

Bear was watching the whole exchange from a distance, smiling. 'This boy has more people who care about him than he even knows… and he somehow pulled me into that group without even knowing it'

* * *

Branch to branch, gracefully but lazily, Kakashi made his way to his target. He was given a fairly easy assassination job. He was to take out the leader to a band of criminals plaguing a small town. After, a beast can't fight without its head. None of the criminals were shinobi or missing nin, making this a relaxing vacation rather than a mission for the legendary Copy-Nin. He wasn't a high-ranking A-class ninja for nothing.

Stopping on a branch just outside of a clearing, he watched the criminal group converse outside their tents. It seemed like they planned to kidnap a few kids for a ransom. Was all this only about money? How pathetic. It was almost night now so Kakashi decided to wait until the men went back into their tents. It took about thirty minutes but they all finally did, with only two body guard watching the boss.

The Sharingan wielding Jounin pulled two poisoned senbon out of his dark green flak jacket and flicked them into his target's bodyguards' necks. They both quickly flung their hands near where the needles hit before ungracefully falling down. Kakashi then took the opening and performed a shunshin to the opening of the tent. The man now identified as Kurahami Takashino jumped when Kakashi entered his tent instead of his trusted body guards.

"Wh-what are you doing here? Who are you!" Kurahami yelled before Kakashi appeared behind him, covering his mouth. "Shh… can you please not make so much noise? I'd like to finish my mission without too much trouble."

"Wh… What's your mis-" Kakashi pushed his kunai through the man's upper neck, instantly killing him. The Jounin then took his target's body to the man that ordered the mission, proving it was complete. 'Easy enough…'

* * *

Naruto sat in the shadow of a large oak tree. The peaceful noise of whistling and rustling of the leaves was all to be heard. The golden-haired boy was meditating, slowly pushing the leaves around him with his chakra. His end goal was to be able to lift a leaf with nothing but his energy. He had been at this for about a week now and had so far only been able to do something similar to kicking a single leaf. Now he is focusing on the strength of his chakra by moving as many leaves as he can at one time.

It was getting quickly boring, however. Naruto had been thinking about something rather important for a while now. All his life he felt a sort of pulling sensation inside of him… A kind of invitation into his mind, he felt. "Bear?" he called out to the sort of older brother dressed in ANBU gear he had grown so fondly of the last few months.

"What is it, Naruto" The boy stood up and brushed himself off, finally opening his eyes. "I want to meet him…" He had a determined look on his visage.

"Meet… who?" Bear was slightly confused.

"The Kyuubi. He has been inside me my entire life… calling out to me, and I've never so much as said 'hello'."

"Naruto… You do realize what the Nine Tails is, don't you? I don't think you want to say hello to it…"

"Everything… Everyone deserves a chance. From what I heard, it seems to hold so much hatred. What if that was you? Wouldn't you want someone to help you?" Naruto quickly rose his voice as if he was speaking from experience. As a matter of fact, he was. At one point in his life he held so much hatred inside and wanted nothing more than for someone to just talk to him… to console him. He was given that chance, so why shouldn't this demon inside of him? He couldn't just stand by and let a creature feel all that hate.

"Naruto…" Bear was at a loss for words. The boy was looking at him with the hardest gaze he'd ever seen in a child. "I know someone who may be able to help…" He really didn't want to call on the help of this guy but he didn't want something to go wrong and have a catastrophe be even remotely possible. He needed someone who could control the tailed beast. He signed to his cat-masked comrade to retrieve Tenzō.

Naruto got back into his meditation position and began focusing inwardly. He put all his attention into delving deep in his mindscape. He was sitting there for roughly ten minutes now and his patience was withering. He wouldn't give up, however. He needed to meet the thing that has been calling out to him for so long.

* * *

Tenzō made his way to the training grounds Cat was leading him to. He was off duty so it wasn't as if he didn't have time, but it was still frustrating that the reason of his calling would not be revealed to him. Cat wasn't trying to hide the reason, but in fact he didn't even know the reason. They approached the clearing and Tenzō immediately felt a strong but very warm and relaxing chakra radiate the area. He figured Bear was practicing some jutsu and needed his assistance or whatever, but was quickly surprised when he saw a young blonde child sitting cross-legged under a tree, shirtless and surrounded by a yellow light (not to be confused with the Nine Tails chakra cloak. This is just a yellow glow). It was mesmerizing that such a young child would have a chakra so strong and kind. Who was this kid exactly? His question was answered all too quickly when the yellow light was being visibly infected with a sinister red only to be defeated by the strong yellow. This repeated countlessly until Tenzō landed by Bear to find out just what was happening. "What is going on here?" He asked, hoping for a straight answer.

"I assume you know who this is already, Tenzō. He wants to meet the Kyuubi. Judging by the red sparks in his chakra, he has already started his conversation." Bear replied, staring in slight awe at the stunning yellow chakra.

"Do you realize how dangerous this could be? What if he can't control the demon? And by the way, I go by Yamato now. Please refer to me as that." Yamato whispered to Bear, not wanting to interrupt the boy.

"Of course, that is why you're here. I'd like you to keep the Kyuubi at bay to minimize any risk there may be. While I trust Naruto, I don't particularly trust the demon."

"Let's just see how this goes, I suppose…"

* * *

When Naruto came to, he felt… wet? He picked himself up and looked around the room he was in. There were various pipes around the walls and it resembled a sewer. On one side there was a large wall of bars, almost like a cage. Inside Naruto could see deep red eyes.

"Kid…" Naruto was brought out of his wonder by a deep, malicious voice.

"Kyuubi… Is that you?" Naruto asked warily.

"Why are you here, brat?" The Nine Tails growled

"I… I want to talk to you" Naruto tried to put up a brave front, but he has never felt this level of killing intent before.

"Come here, boy" Naruto slowly made his way towards the cage before a giant paw with large claws came crashing down. The blonde jumped out of the way and landed safely a few feet away from the paw. "What the hell!" He shouted.

"Who do you think you are? You think you can simple come here and talk to me?" The kyuubi shouted, aiming to intimidate the blonde.

Naruto's brave front finally kicked in. "I'm your vessel, and I came here to find out why you are filled with so much hate… I want to help you" He said quieter than he meant.

"Help me? Kid even if I needed or wanted help, you could do nothing!"

"I want to try! I doubt Nine Tails is your real name… Can you at least give me that? A name…"

"What is your dream, kid?" The Kyuubi put his head forward, glaring at Naruto.

"My dream...? My dream… I guess I have never really thought about it. I just don't want anyone to go through the solitude I went through… the hatred… the loneliness… the pain… I want to save the world from those horrible feelings." Naruto thought out loud and honestly.

"The world? How do you even plan to go about that? Tell me, kid!"

Naruto was getting annoyed at the stubbornness of the demon fox, "One god damned person at a time if that's what it takes! Starting with you, you hateful damn fox!" He didn't mean to lose his temper like he did and quickly stopped himself and regained composure. The fox moved back into the darkness of his cage as Naruto began his way out.

"Kurama" Naruto heard softly from inside the cage. At this point, he had his back to the beast and was walking away. He stopped for a moment and looked at the bars over his shoulder. "Thank you…" Naruto whispered before vanishing from his mindscape.

* * *

Yamato sat, crossed legged with one hand extended, palm facing Naruto and his other arm holding the extended arms' wrist. He watched as Naruto's chakra suddenly flared as his eyes suddenly flickered open.

"Naruto?" Bear approached the boy. "How did it go with the Nine Tails?"

"His name… his name is Kurama. I think it went good…"

* * *

Graduation time had come. The day that would begin their ninja careers and set the start to Naruto's dream. The best way to help the world, after all, would be to be Hokage, and to do that, he needed to become a ninja. It all went fairly smoothly in the long run, and everyone except a few kids graduated without any problems. Of course Iruka was a little surprised to say the least when Naruto performed a Shadow clone as opposed to a normal clone.

* * *

"You all understand why you're here, correct?" Hiruzen was accompanied by Danzo, Homura, and Koharu. All the Jounin nodded confirming that they understood.

"We will now begin assigning teams to each Jounin sensei. On a side note, congratulations on making Jounin, Kurenai."

"Thank you, Lord Hokage. I am honored" Kurenai spoke. She was a young woman with a white and red dress, wrapping around her slim body. Her most distinctive feature were her crimson red eyes. They did nothing special but look astounding. She was a remarkably beautiful woman, and all of her comrades knew this, especially Asuma Sarutobi, Hiruzen's second son.

"Kurenai, you will be assigned Hinata Hyuuga, Kiba Inuzuka, and Shino Aburame as your genjutsu will suit the sensory team nicely. Asuma, you'll be in charge of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio since their parents all insisted to me quite intensely that you would benefit them the most. Finally, Kakashi Hatake, you will be assigned Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno, and Sasuke Uchiha." At that, the other Jounin's faces lit up.

"Don't you think that team will be a little unbalanced? You have two very promising graduates on one team. What about balance? I'm sure Sasuke would go nicely on my team considering the eyes he will get." Kurenai insisted.

"Going by scores alone, Naruto has exponentially low ones and Sasuke is the top of his class. However, since we know they both are very promising, that team will serve on a sort of front lines, if you will. Sakura has been placed on the team for her intellect. She has shown promise in her chakra control and strategic planning skills. Besides, don't you think that a Sharingan user such as Kakashi would be best suited teaching the Uchiha?" Danzo chimed in, giving a very analytical point of view. No one could argue against the solid logic and Kurenai simply kept quiet.

* * *

Sasuke gave a glance at his team, Sakura he wasn't sure of. To him he figured she was one of the less than annoying fan girls but still slightly annoying. Then there was Naruto the only person in school who had given him any type of challenge. It was strange since they fought a lot and yet he couldn't say that he hated the boy, sure he was loud, annoying and sometimes dense but he was also the only other student that Sasuke could measure his progress against. It was also irritating that Naruto was never too far behind him (at least in his eyes) and so Sasuke always had to push himself harder.

In a way Naruto was making him reach his goal of avenging his family faster but he wouldn't be outdone by him regardless he would surpass and leave Naruto behind since he still had to catch up to Itachi's level and then surpass him as well.

At first, Hinata was upset that she wasn't on Naruto's team, but figured it was for the best considering she most likely wouldn't be able to focus while being near him constantly. This was better for her Shinobi career.

As the teams were led out one by one, the newly founded Team 7 was the last one in the room. Sasuke and Sakura were wondering where their sensei was while Naruto was sitting in a desk reading a book he found at the library. He found out he was named after the main character.

He was so deep in the book that he forgot to set up the prank that he planned for when his Jounin instructor came to get his team.

They all perked their heads up as they heard the door creak open.

"Sorry I'm late, I was distracted saving a young girl from a local gang" Kakashi Hatake said, in a half-assed attempt to excuse his absence.

Team Seven was told to head towards the top of the academy, but was not told why. As they were walking, Naruto was forced to put down his book as he had not yet mastered Kakashi's 'Walk while reading jutsu'.

Sasuke was walking in contemplation and wonder, wondering just how much stronger this new sensei can make him. Wondering if he can be made strong enough to take down his accursed brother. Wondering just what is under his damned mask.

Sakura seemed more like the only excited one there. Not only has she finally become a Genin, but she became a Genin with her beloved Sasuke-kun. Having Naruto there was a little distressing at first, but she soon realized his attitude change. He's been a lot more calm and collected lately, while still having his little bursts of noise and excitement that he was well known for. A nice touch, really. Wait, what? She thought. Since when did I start seeing Naruto like that? No, no… I'm still going to get my Sasuke-kun.

As they arrive, they took a seat on a long, stone bench that was apparent on the small roof patio the academy had. Sasuke took his place all the way to the left, while Sakura sat in the middle between him and Naruto. Surprisingly, they didn't have to wait long as their one-eyed sensei did a shunshin and seemingly appeared out of nowhere on the ledge of the protective railing around the patio. While reading his book, he began:

"Hey, guys. Today I'm just going to get you three to introduce yourselves to me. Should be easy enough, even for a group of kids"

The three kids seemed put off and offended at being called kids. Sasuke glared daggers into Kakashi, Sakura only frowned, and Naruto simply sat there unaffected.

"Uh, sensei?" Sakura chirped in, confused. "Can you give us an example of what you want to know?"

"Sure, I just want things like some hobbies, likes, dislikes, and your dreams" He stated matter-of-factly. "Here, I'll start. I'm Kakashi Hatake. I like many things, and dislike some. I don't have all that many hobbies, and my dreams are none of your business".

The Copy-Nin's students deadpanned at that. "That didn't tell us anything! What kind of sensei are you?" Sakura surprisingly yelled.

"I'm your sensei" Was the response, carefully emphasized on the second word. "Now, how about you go first."

Livid at her sensei's nonchalant attitude, she reluctantly began. "Well, my name is Sakura Haruno. I dislike bullies and people who have no respect for others, and I like…" She trailed off, looking at Sasuke and seemingly forgetting about her previous anger. "My hobbies are… My dream is…" She couldn't finish her sentences without looking at her Sasuke-kun. "Kyaaa!" She yelped, excitedly.

"Well then… how about you go next, Naruto" Kakashi unenthusiastically said, not looking forward to having to break Sakura out of her childhood crush.

Calm and with a glint in his eyes, Naruto began. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki. I like training my body, chakra, and mind, and I also like my friend Bear. I dislike stereotypes, people filled with only hatred, and the system of the ninja world. My hobbies are strengthening my chakra, reading, and eating ramen, and my dream is to be acknowledged by everyone and to one day rid the world of hatred. I guess I'd have to become Hokage to do that, though."

At that, Kakashi raised an eyebrow. He could tell Naruto did love training and had his heart set in the right place. This kid makes you feel like he can really make a difference. 'You truly are his son, aren't you'. After seconds of thought, he started. "Well alright, I feel like I've known you two for years" He said, sarcastically. "Now it's your turn, Sasuke."

Sasuke seemed both deep in thought and gloomy. Nevertheless, he began. "I am Sasuke Uchiha, I have many dislikes and I don't particularly like anything. I don't have many hobbies, and my dream is more of an ambition. I want to kill a certain someone" He said eerily.

Kakashi knew who he was talking about, but decided to change the subject to happier thoughts. "Well, alright. Our meeting is over for today. Meet up at training ground Seven tomorrow at 6 a.m" He lazily spoke. "Oh, and don't eat… you will probably regret it".

Avoiding the protest at having to be up so early and not being able to eat, he disappeared from the ledge, nowhere to be found. As he always does, he will give these students the infamous bell test. While no one has ever passed it, he has high hopes for this team. Low expectations, but high hopes.

* * *

 **7 a.m. – Training Ground Seven**

The Genin of team 7 lay tired, broken, and grumpy on the ground. Not because of harsh training, but because of the lack of it. Or rather, the lack of even a sensei…

"He said to be here at 6 in the morning, so why is he taking so long!?" Sakura howled

"Ch." Was the only angry and impatient response Sasuke gave.

"Better get used to it, he's always at least an hour late to everything. " Naruto added in, despite also being angry and exasperated. "Just wait until he comes with some bull excuse". He had heard stories from Bear and Yamato, complaining about Kakashi's habits.

As if on cue, Kakashi appeared book in hand, and excuse cocked and loaded. "Sorry I'm late, I'm afraid I had to help an old lady walk her dog." He said, not minding if they actually believed it. It's not like he was really trying to convince anybody of his excuses, he just liked playing with them when he could.

"Spare us, let's just get to what you have planned today" Sasuke grumbled almost commandingly, not that it affected Kakashi.

"Alright, alright, we're getting to that, grumpy." The late sensei teased. "Today I'm going to give you your real Genin test" At that the three students seemed surprised to hear that they haven't become official Genin yet.

"I thought the graduation exam was what made us Genin!" Sakura shouted.

"That old thing? No, that was to see if you were ready to exit the academy. This is to see if you have what it takes to be real shinobi. The name of the game is the bell test, and the rules are simple: You're all to try getting a bell, and whoever doesn't get one will not only fail and be sent back to the academy, but will be tied to a post and refused lunch while forced to watch the rest of us eat our lunches." Kakashi stated, with an obvious sinister grin on his masked mug. "Now, here's the trick; If you don't come at me with intent to kill, you won't get the bells".

"There are only two bells though." Sasuke inquired Getting no reply from his sensei except for 'begin', he watched as Kakashi only stood there, seemingly reading his book with little interest to the test itself. Almost as if he knew they didn't have a chance of getting a bell. Naruto observed the same thing, calling his team over to discuss something. Curious, they both followed and huddled with the blonde.

"Alright, guys, you notice anything fishy with this test?" Naruto started. After seeing only Sasuke seemingly agree with him and Sakura frown, he continued. "There are only two bells, yet all teams must be a four-man cell. While I do believe Kakashi-sensei is way too lazy for his own good, he wouldn't give us a test we can't all pass. The only conclusion I can think of is he wants us to work as a team." Naruto wasn't sure of himself, but this was the best guess so far. "If either of you have a plan that involves us working together, please share".

Surprised at Naruto's newfound maturity, Sakura hesitated to pitch in her plan. "If what you're saying is true, then I have an idea" she started. "Alright we'll start by…" She explained her quickly-improvised plan, impressing Naruto and even getting a raised eyebrow from Sasuke.

Kakashi stood there, reading and being surprised. His students disappeared into the forest. He had to admit, it was getting a little boring having to wait on them to make a move. As he was thinking this, he picked up on 'Naruto' rushing him. This Naruto moved differently than he remembered, but he seemed to go along with it, realizing that this team was actually using strategy. It seemed that they discovered the true meaning to this test.

Sakura rushed at Kakashi in her henge as Naruto. As she neared her sensei, she dropped down, attempting to sweep him. When he lazily jumped over her leg just enough to avoid it, he instantly had a shuriken coming at his back. He leaned forward to avoid the shuriken and witnessed it be caught and thrown back to him by a now apparent Naruto. This time it was the real one, he concluded as he saw the blonde back down and re-enter the forest. The Copy-Nin didn't have much time to think as he had a fist coming towards his face. He leaned to his left to dodge, refusing to strike back. There was no need to. He figured Sasuke threw the shuriken and would come back, so he leapt back away from Sakura's fury.

Sasuke approached sneakily through the forest after throwing the instrument. When he reached the clearing and saw Sakura keeping Kakashi busy, he decided it to be time to start to his actual role in the plan. He pulled paper bomb tied to a kunai out of his weapons pouch. After launching it towards his sensei, he henged it as a rambunctious Naruto, charging Kakashi in order to prove himself. They used that image because they figured it to be the most likely one of them to do something like that, no matter the skill he showed in spars.

Kakashi noticed 'Naruto' heading towards him at an impressive pace. While he knew it was a henge, he didn't know what or who it really was. He couldn't think about it in too much detail due to having to dodge Sakura's flurry of punches and kicks. He hastily decided to put away his book and kick the henged paper bomb, and was genuinely surprised when it exploded. He managed to get away in time for it not to damage him too much, only to be struck in the face by Sakura's sloppy palm strike. While he was standing there, impressed at his students, it seemed the world moved in slow motion as ne noticed Naruto come from underground. He decided to humor his students considering this was a well-made plan, and stood there in artificial shock as the blonde inched closer to the bells at a 100th of a second. The other two Genin stood there in suspense, wondering if their plan would actually work. As their blue-eyed teammate's hand touched the bells, Kakashi disappeared into a puff of smoke, leaving his students wide-eyed and motionless.

"I have to admit, I'm impressed by your strategic skills and teamwork." Kakashi said lazily but sincerely fascinated. "While you managed to take out my clone and almost get a bell, you still failed to incorporate the possibility of a clone itself in your plan." He lectured on. "You have come further; however, than any other team I've given this test to and failed."

"Does this mean- " Sakura started to speak, panting from the work out she got from continually fighting.

"It means you all three… pass." The teasing sensei interrupted with a dramatic pause at the end.

I'm going to have some fun with this team Kakashi thought, interested as he watched his newly made Genin lay down in relief and happiness from passing. He noticed Naruto only go back to reading his book while lying in the grass. This was becoming the start to an interesting team indeed.

* * *

 **Alright guys, 5k words. These chapters are getting kinda long :D Also, I want to note that there is a reason I'm keeping team 7. I pushed a little bit and bent things just so I could have this team because I have a plan for them. Have faith in me! Also, I hope no one minds, but I'll be acting like the Land of Waves arc never happened. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy!**


	6. Kuma Uzumaki

**Chapter Six: Kuma Uzumaki**

Team seven arrived at the destination of their first mission. The air was warm and the sky was bright. Clouds lazily strolled across the sky hovering over the oncoming battle.

"I'm going to kill every single one of you…" Naruto mumbled to himself even though the rest of his team was in earshot. Sakura sighed as if dealing with a child.

"Naruto! Can we just get this done already? You don't have to fight the grass, just cut it…" Sakura pulled a push mower behind her as she went to mow their customer's lawn.

Naruto's face fell as if he just had his toy taken from him. "But mom" he elongated the last word in sarcasm as he brought his own push mower to his section of the yard. Sasuke studied his team in slight amusement before following suit as Kakashi laid back and supervised the completion of their first mission. It was almost nice to be able to relax for the first few months leading a Genin team before getting actual missions.

After everything was finished up, the students all tiredly approached their sensei, all of them covered in sweat. Sakura, however, was the only one who was really out of breath. It was painfully obvious she had little to no stamina. It all made sense, actually. Every time the team would eat lunch together, she only ate a tiny proportion, most likely to stay 'slim' for Sasuke. She really needed to break out of her current mindset. In any case, the sun was going down and they needed to rest for their training tomorrow. Kakashi put off talking to her until then.

* * *

Hinata stood flat against the wall and deathly silent. She was currently trying to overhear a conversation between her father and the clan elders. Every time the damned elders spoke she couldn't help but cringe with a clenched fist. She would love nothing more than to beat the sense into them one by one, but she knew she wouldn't have the heart for it. Only someone like Naruto would be able to do that.

"Hiashi, are you becoming soft? We have already all determined that Hanabi is far more suited for the position of Clan Head, so why let your other one muck around unsealed?" The head elder questioned.

Hinata's chest adopted a sudden pressure at that. The head elder was her grandfather and he couldn't even call her by her name. She was the 'other one' and in his eyes, nothing else. It hurt enough that he would want her sealed, but to ignore their connection hurt far worse.

"Father, Hinata has improved drastically since her and her sister last fought. You are being too hasty." While Hiashi never showed it, he deeply cared for both of his daughters equally.

"She will continue to improve with the Caged Bird Seal."

"And be unable to truly benefit her clan like Neji?" It was no mystery that Hiashi disapproved of what happened to Neji and his father, Hiashi's twin brother. "This clan has taken more from me than I would like to stand for, but I have stayed faithful through all of it. My wife, my brother, and now you are threatening my daughter!?" Hiashi was losing his cool, and that was never something anyone wanted to see. He wasn't clan head by simple chance.

Hinata was sporting a loving smile. Her father was defending her, and in that, he was showing tons more emotion towards her than he has ever shown in the past. It was comforting to know that her father did care for her after all.

"You had best calm yourself, Hiashi" an elder warned.

"No! You threaten the life of my child and expect me to stay calm? We all know that the seal has a low survival rate at best for anyone above the age of ten."

"Your child? Need we remind you that your loyalty lies with the clan before your measly personal connections? Death would easily be preferable for someone who blatantly promotes the equivalent of treason. It is no secret that she wishes to abolish our prized traditions of using the seal."

At that, Hiashi released a massive wave of killing intent as the elders stiffened up wearily. Hinata was fighting back tears knowing that her grandfather wanted her killed and feeling the horrible feeling her father was releasing. A symphony of emotions was going through Hinata as she silently ran back to her room to sleep. It would not be good if she was caught spying on an important meeting such as this one. There was one thing she knew without a doubt; she had to begin taking charge in fixing her twisted clan.

* * *

Sasuke sat on a stump trying to relax while he waited for Kakashi and Naruto to arrive for training and Sakura was sitting as close as she could to him constantly trying to start up a conversation.

"Ugh! Where's Naruto and Kakashi-sensei? Shouldn't they be here by now? Why couldn't we get someone better on our team than Naruto… He's such an idiot sometimes, unlike you Sasuke-kun"

Naruto had been there the entire time, taking the advantage of his superior stealth abilities to hear what Sakura really thought of him. The results were not something he enjoyed. She was hopelessly obsessed with Sasuke and viewed him as a hopeless idiot. Maybe he had been downplaying his abilities a tad too much.

The raven-haired boy was about to snap and kill the girl… literally. Luckily, Naruto appeared in front of both of them with a shunshin. "You know Sakura, I've been here this entire time. You're right though, I sometimes wish we weren't stuck with someone." He said, eyeing Sakura with an expression she had never seen in him before. It was an expression of betrayal and stifled anger. She simply stood there speechless and surprisingly hurt that Naruto thought that lowly of her. Why would she care though? She said the same thing about him.

Sasuke was also surprised by Naruto's comment. It wasn't normal to see Naruto be anything other than supportive and friendly towards a comrade. The tension was soon put aside when Kakashi arrived with a scroll labeled 'Sakura'. "Hello guys" he set the scroll down with an eye smile.

"What's the scroll for, sensei?"

"It's for you, Sakura. To help your endurance. Naruto, Sasuke, go train over there and I'll send a clone with you." Kakashi pointed by a nearby lake to which Naruto responded by blurring by Sasuke, hitting him on the back of the head during the process, making the Uchiha angrily chase after him.

Kakashi watched the two in amusement before turning to Sakura. "Now that we're alone, there is something that we need to talk about, Sakura." The pink-haired girl gulped. Did she do something wrong? She nodded, prompting Kakashi to continue. "You have pathetically low stamina. You were out of breath from doing a simple D-ranked mission. There are two reasons for this, and I think you already know one of them." He saw Sakura stiffen at the realization of what her sensei was talking about. She knew being on the diet she was would make it so she had less energy, but it was the only way in her eyes to stay slim, which is what she imagined, would win her Sasuke.

"You need to put your interest in Sasuke after your career as a Shinobi or you may very well get him, or anyone else killed. Do you understand? " Kakashi unrolled the scroll, made a hand seal, and unleashed the large buffet that was hidden in the paper.

Sakura nodded sadly and nervously as she understood just what the food was for. "Yes, sensei…" she took the plate that Kakashi was handing her and began to eat.

They're just eating… what is going on?' Naruto thought as he bobbed and weaved out of the way of Sasuke's strikes, which served to only make him more determined to hit the blonde.

* * *

"You know you can hit back, right Naruto?" Kakashi called out from his place on a branch where he was relaxing and watching the 'fight'. Naruto then nodded and Body Flickered behind Sasuke, kicking his midsection and launching him into a tree where he caught on with his feet and lunged back at the blonde.

Bear had a lot of off time ever since Naruto joined Kakashi's team. He had a lot of trust in that man so he was never worried, but he had to admit things just weren't as interesting without the blonde around.

He had now spent his time eating dango and finally meeting the 'mean lady' he had heard so much about. They had plenty of conversations considering they went to the same place just about every day. She wasn't all too bad to Bear, so one day he built up the courage to ask her on a date. It almost felt silly for an ANBU to be nervous about something like that, but he was.

To his surprise when he asked, she laughed at him and called him a wuss, but accepted regardless. Her name was Anko Mitarashi and they have now been together for a couple of months. While he really liked this woman, he still missed Naruto seeing as they never have any time to talk anymore. He did find time to tell him about his girlfriend though.

'I need to have the two of them meet. I'm sure they'll get along nicely,' bear thought to himself while guarding Naruto's apartment in the middle of the night.

* * *

"Today I'm going to teach you how to climb a tree" Kakashi said cryptically, approaching a tree. His students nodded, understanding that with him, he never means just what he says. They all looked impressed except for Naruto who actually thought they should have gotten to this earlier.

"Um… First, sensei… Can we… Uh…" Sakura began hesitantly.

"Can you what?" Kakashi inquired.

"Can we see your face?" Naruto interrupted the two, rubbing his head. "That's what she was going to ask, and honestly, we are all curious."

"What do you mean? You're looking at my face right now" Kakashi teased.

"Without the mask" Sasuke unexpectedly added in, only barely hiding his annoyed expression.

"Oh, well I suppose I can show you what's under this mask."

At that, his students' eyes lit up, all of them motionless at the suspense gathered upon the chance of uncovering a secret kept more than Naruto's Jinchūriki status, or even his father's name. Their hearts were beating faster and faster keeping them on the edge of their metaphorical seats as he slowly raised his finger up to the edge of his mask. As he hooked his face-hider with his dramatically slow-moving finger, he pulled down in an instant only to reveal nothing but a second mask.

"It's another mask" He enjoyed torturing his students. After pulling the first mask down, it disappeared in a puff of smoke revealing it only to be a clone. The students all deadpanned while Naruto was also waiting to get on with the lesson. He never really gave much thought into tree walking or water walking but figured he could do it rather easily considering his time spent practicing chakra control. "So, who's gonna go first, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked, largely unconcerned about the order they went in. They only had one tree around so they had to take turns.

The Uchiha inched towards the tree, unsure how he should go about doing it. He channeled chakra into his feet then ran towards the tree, only to have the bark explode from underneath him, pushing him on the ground.

"Ease up on the amount of chakra you use, Sasuke. Too much and you'll break the surface, too little and you won't stick. Like I said earlier, you have to have a perfect middle ground." His sensei explained, helpfully. Since doing a good 16 D-rank missions (or chores as Naruto called them) they all have eased up to each other and have formed the beginnings of strong bonds. This included Sasuke saying more than one word every few days. He even found a rival in Naruto, pushing him to better improve himself for a reason other than to kill his brother. Even though they still gave each other hell, they meant no real harm by it.

After a few more attempts, Kakashi decided to let someone else give it a try. Before he could tell Sakura to go next, a certain blonde cut in.

"Let me have a go at this. I want to see how my hours a day of training will pay off."

Kakashi figured he should let Naruto have his wish, expecting him to mess up just as bad as Sasuke. After all, they both had some large chakra reserves and those with large reserves usually had to train a lot more to control all of it. Naruto, however, had humungous reserves; more than he had ever seen in a child his age, or even an average Jounin. Kakashi also knew that from the Kyuubi's chakra, when tapped into, his reserves increased exponentially. The blonde would have to train a while before being able to efficiently climb the tree.

Thinking all of this, he barely noticed Naruto begin walking up the tree with ease, looking fairly bored at the exercise even though you could see the hint of pride in his eyes. Kakashi's visible eye widened at the sight he just witnessed.

"Naruto, have you practiced this before?" That had to be the only way he could do this so easily.

"Nope, but I have spent the last few months practicing my chakra control." Naruto explained.

"I want to talk to you after training today, alright?"

"A-alright" The blonde replied nervously. _Did I do something wrong?_ He thought

Sasuke seemed competitive at seeing his rival do what he himself couldn't, and he did it with no difficulty. This only motivated the Uchiha to work harder in order to overcome his rival. He would train all night if he had to, as long as he didn't fall behind Naruto.

"Alright well I suppose it's your turn now, Sakura." Kakashi said, still slightly shocked at Naruto's performance.

Sakura nodded and walked up hesitantly, not wanting to embarrass herself especially after even Naruto did it easily. She was torn knowing Sasuke was a talented, yet he failed, and Naruto was dead last for so long and yet he did it easily. Could she do it? Only one way to find out.

She began channeling chakra into her feet and walked up the tree with startled ease. Turns out it's not too hard, after all.

"Good job, Sakura. Now you don't have a very large reserve of chakra so I want you to walk up and down the tree until you find yourself getting tired. After that, sprint up and down until you feel your chakra running out. Don't, however, let your chakra run out completely. Chakra exhaustion is a nasty thing." She nodded and began doing what he said.

Naruto went over to Sasuke and began helping him. Even though he hated taking advice, he still trusted the blonde from when they would train together as kids. He reluctantly listened to what Naruto had to say. Seeing the two training, Kakashi decided to let them be. Sasuke seemed more resolute than ever, and if you looked close enough, for the first time in a long time, you would see the trace of a smile on his face.

* * *

Seeing Sakura fall to the ground in exhaustion, Kakashi appeared under her and caught the girl before she hurt herself. "Naruto, Sasuke, I'm going to take Sakura to the Inn. Come when you've finished up here." With that, he disappeared with a half asleep Sakura.

Naruto stayed training with Sasuke, despite already mastering the exercise himself. When Sasuke got to a higher part of the tree, Naruto made it harder on him by throwing kunai at him, making him have to dodge.

When Sasuke became efficient enough at tree-climbing, the two rivals started sparring. Standing in their own taijutsu forms, they awaited the others initial attack while planning their own.

Naruto started off the spar by throwing a palm towards Sasuke's chest, which he responded by catching his rival's hand and gracefully flipping him over his own shoulder. When Naruto landed he threw a kick towards Sasuke's midsection. The little brother Uchiha brought his forearm down and blocked the leg only to have to flip out of the way of a closed fist to his face. Sasuke brought his hands to his face and made the hand seals to a low-powered katon jutsu. Naruto, having no jutsu to counter it, resorted to shooting out of the way and hurling a nearby stick towards his friend in the style of a kunai. Sasuke stopped the jutsu to catch the stick and throw it back, only to witness Naruto flip over it to now be within close range of the Uchiha, taking the opportunity to begin attacking, now with a kunai in hand. Sasuke's retort was to pull out his own kunai and charge in, smiling. 'Just like old times,' Naruto thought.

The sounds of flesh meeting flesh and metal meeting metal rang throughout the forest. Flares of red and orange light danced around the impromptu arena from Sasuke's Katon jutsus, and after another hour of sparring, the two were finally worn out. While their taijutsu improved more than they had hoped, that didn't matter now due to the fact that they could barely move. They ended up carrying each other back to the Inn, only making it from teamwork.

* * *

Sakura and Kakashi sat at a modestly-sized table, eating bowls of seasoned rice that she had prepared herself. While they ate, they made the occasional small-talk, both mentally wondering where the rest of Team 7 was.

"It's getting kind of late… Shouldn't they be back b-" Sakura was cut off by the door to their room open somewhat suddenly. The two rivals walked in supporting each other. Looking like they would fall asleep any second now, they marched toward the table.

"What happened to you two? You look like you were mauled by a bear." Kakashi inquired lightly.

Both Naruto and Sasuke flicked their eyes at each other before laughing frivolously, both with smirks on their faces.

"We beat each other up" Naruto explained while Sasuke set him down at the table before sitting down himself. They were both beat up senseless and needed sleep desperately. Ignoring the confused looks they got from their team, they both fell asleep quickly and peacefully. Well, it _was_ peaceful, at least, until Naruto started snoring.

"So they used to be at each other's throats and now they're best of buddies?" She wondered out loud. "When did this happen and how did Naruto get Sasuke before I did?" That last part was mostly a joke, but she was still curious at the new development.

Kakashi was just as curious but decided not to voice it. Tomorrow, after all, would be a long day.

* * *

"Now that you've all mastered the tree-walking technique, now is time to move on to water walking. This one is a little harder than the tree-walking given the fact that the water's surface changes constantly, unlike a tree, where the surface stays the same." Kakashi began while jumping onto the surface of the river and standing calmly upon it with a offhand attitude. "With this one, all you need to do is continually adapt your chakra to fit the water. To do that, you need to learn how to make your chakra lenient as opposed to the stiff layer you needed while on a flat surface. You need to let it flow naturally and be changed by the water."

The three Genin looked a little enthralled but even more-so resolute at mastering this new skill. They all took a step on the water and dipped in, noticing that it was pretty shallow.

After around half an hour, Sakura was the first to get some sort of unbalanced stance on the water. Meanwhile, Naruto and Sasuke were still getting soaked and accidentally splashing water everywhere.

When Naruto went at his latest attempt, he used way too much chakra and splashed a wave of water at Sakura and knocked her out of her concentration which made her fall over and get completely soaked. At first, she was absolutely ready to kill the blonde before she saw how hard he was trying. She had to admire his resolve and at that she forgot about her irritation to continue working on the technique herself.

An hour later, Sakura was now sparring with Kakashi due to her having grasped water walking first. Naruto was sparring with Sasuke, who was still a little unbalanced at times, but for the most part mastered the skill. Naruto mastered it shortly after Sakura and after seeing his teammates get it; Sasuke became more determined and mastered it himself. Every time the two adversaries spar, they seem to become more and more dedicated to beating the other, while it will probably never happen.

* * *

Hinata could now perform the full Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, much to Naruto's immense dismay. It was hell trying to dodge those strikes, but it was even worse recovering from them once you inevitably do get hit. They were wrapping up a practice after a long day of pure dodging for Naruto and striking for Hinata, who had a worried expression on her face.

"What's wrong, Hinata?"

"It's nothing, Naruto-kun. Just some family issues." Hinata didn't want to lie to Naruto, but she also didn't want to catch him up in all her problems.

Naruto didn't want to hound her if she didn't feel like telling him anything. "Well alright. I hope everything is okay. See ya' later, Hinata-chan" he turned and stepped away before he felt the girl grab his arm.

"Naruto… would you like to go get dinner actually?" Naruto sported a startled expression on his face and unknowingly developed a slight blush. That made millions of thought swim through Hinata's poor mind as she awaited his answer.

"Uh… yeah, sure! Sounds like fun" Naruto eventually happily said. They had eaten out before, so why would this time make him nervous? It was just another time, right? Nothing has changed…

She nodded as confidence began to build within her and she ran forward. She flew right past him and he blinked confusedly before he took off after her. They bounced from rooftop to rooftop and constantly increased their speed. She wasn't sure when exactly, but at some point they had started an unspoken race. It was one she wasn't going to lose.

To the untrained eye, they appeared as orange and lavender bolts hurtling through the sky. Hinata felt herself smiling. It was the most fun she had had in memory. Racing and roughhousing weren't tolerated in a Hyuuga home, after all. Perhaps that was one of the reasons she liked Naruto, he brought out a sense of childlike excitement in everyone. It was infectious.

They landed on the pavement at the exact same time. She looked back at him. He was grinning the same way she assumed she was. It was a tie.

"You've gotten pretty fast Hinata."

"You as well Naruto-kun. Shall we go eat?"

He nodded and they sat down at a pair of vacant stools. Teuchi walked out from the back.

"Back again Naruto? This is your fourth time it two days. I don't mind, but I figured you would have expanded your diet a little," the ramen chef said.

"I haven't had a good bowl of ramen in three years old man. I'm just spoiling myself a bit."

"As I said I don't mind, I assume you want the usual?" Naruto nodded.

"And you miss?"

"I'll just have a bowl of chicken ramen please."

"Alright, I'll have your order soon."

He left into the back without another word. Hinata steeled herself and decided to start the conversation on a strong note.

"Naruto-kun."

"Yeah."

"Do you have a break from missions any time soon?"

"Yeah, we don't get another one for at least a week. Why?"

"I don't get to see you often… I… miss you" Hinata said with a now inhuman blush on her face.

Naruto stopped mid-slurp at that, which was something remarkable. Naruto never stopped mid-slurp. He cleared his mouth and looked at Hinata, awestruck. "I-I've missed you too."

That sent Hinata over the edge and she passed out from a mixture of shock and exhaustion from training. Naruto had sort of gotten used to it and he picked her up and carried her over to the Hyuuga compound, handing her over to one of the guards. They were used to seeing the blonde seeing as he and Hinata had been training together for a while now so they understood what happened and simply carried her off to her room.

Naruto smiled and headed home knowing that Bear was watching the whole time.

* * *

Team Seven reported to the Hokage's office for another mission assignment. They were all wondering whether they would be mowing another lawn, finding that lady's cat, or cleaning some guy's shop again. That was usually what D-ranks consisted of.

"First off, I would like to congratulate you all on completing so many missions in such a short amount of time. It is truly impressive to get through them, even if they are just D ranks, so fast." Team seven all knew it was because of Naruto's clones. They were able to take multiple missions a day and rake in a good amount of money. "With that considered, I will be assigning you something a bit more interesting, as I know you must be bored with the simple chores you are doing now. I have a C ranked mission for you today that will require you to leave the village" Hiruzen said with a smile, knowing the kids will love that, and even Kakashi would be relieved at it. Every ninja needed some leg room to travel.

"What will you have us do, Hokage-sama?" Kakashi asked politely.

"Your mission is to escort a young merchant back home. She has been a guest of our village for the past year now and is ready to return to Yakomi town in our Land of Fire." Hiruzen was eyeing Naruto for some reason as he talked about their customer. As if on cue, the merchant entered the office and was revealed to be a young girl with long scarlet-red hair going to the small of her back, black shorts, and a well fit brown jacket. The last thing Naruto noticed was her fairly normal brown sandals.

"Kuma, this is Team Seven, and Team seven, this is Kuma, the merchant you will be escorting."

'She's so young though… Has she really been here for a year? I've never seen her before." Sakura thought. Naruto's thought were similar, but not exactly. 'She's so pretty… Something about her feels familiar though…'

"Welp, shall we get going? It's already getting pretty late" Kuma stated with a homesick, but indifferent tone. She had, however, been interested in one thing since she walked in the room. She was a ninja with very little training but a natural connection to chakra. She could feel and see chakra venting from people and basically read what it was saying. When she got near Naruto or looked at him, he emitted the purest, warmest, and most calming chakra she had ever felt. She almost couldn't get enough of it. This caused her to stick closer to Naruto than anyone else during their journey back to her house. There largely wasn't much conversation on the trip until Naruto decided to talk to the girl who stayed so closely to him. The others were a little confused that she would stick by Naruto of all people but didn't give it much thought.

"So… What is your town like, Kuma?" Naruto broke the ice.

"It's pretty small actually, but the people there are really nice. We don't have a ninja academy like you guys, but while I was in Konoha, I spent some time there with the money I made selling my hand-made flutes!" She sounded prideful in her craft. She made fairly high-quality flutes out of bamboo.

"That's awesome. I guess you play the flute yourself then, right?"

"Actually… no, but I've always wanted to learn. I just know how to make them by the measurements. I'm really good at math." Naruto was surprised at that. A flute maker who couldn't play the flute… That was odd.

"I never was good at schoolwork type of stuff. I'm okay at math but nothing special, I guess. So do you have a surname, or is it just Kuma?" Naruto questioned out of curiosity.

"Oh, yeah, sorry. I guess I forgot to properly introduce myself" The young girl now directed her voice towards the entire team as opposed to only Naruto. "My name is Kuma Uzumaki, and I'm from Yakomi town." At that, everyone looked at her oddly and then at Naruto, who seemed a little confused himself.

"Uh… Did I say something wrong?" Kuma was slightly uncomfortable at the silence.

"No… But my name is Naruto Uzumaki." The blonde added in curiously.

"Really? What, does that mean we're related or something..?" Kuma was the one surprised now. She had never met a blood relative before.

"Just because you two are from the same clan, doesn't mean you are directly related necessarily." Kakashi added in, much to the dismay of Kuma, who was really hoping to meet a cousin or brother or something. Just something.

"Hey, don't worry, I'll still protect you as family!" Naruto declared, seeing the downcast look on the girl's face. She was about the same age as him and if he had to admit, she was pretty cute. Wait, no… That's not how he is supposed to think… He needs to protect her, not flirt with her… But a few thought won't hurt anybody, right?

* * *

The sun was now setting and it was becoming dark. They had been walking for at least a few hours now so Kakashi decided to let everyone rest. They weren't in any hurry after all. They set up tents in a small clearing they had found not far from the road and Kakashi put up a weak barrier around the clearing, just in case any bandits or missing nin decided to attack, not that they would have any reason to. This was a fairly peaceful C rank so far, and there was no reason why that would change any time soon. Since they only had two tents, Kakashi took Naruto and Sasuke in his tent, and Sakura shared hers with Kuma. Big mistake… All that girl talked about was Naruto and how his chakra was so wonderful. First she stayed so close to him the entire time, then they shared the same last name, and now he was the center of her conversation? Just who was this girl and why does she like Naruto so much? What would she see In him besides his bright blue eyes, golden hair, and adorable whis- wait… What?

* * *

 **Well, there's chapter six. Thanks for reading and feel free to give feedback :p**


	7. Yakomi Town

**Axel Davis: Don't worry, Naruto won't be getting any swords :P He may be smarter but he's still a fists-a-blazing kind of guy. Until he gets his other techniques, that is. Thanks for your review!**

 **NinjaGOAT: Sorry, I don't think I'll be doing Sasuke x Samui. I don't really like to focus solely on pairings anyways, but any fic needs it's fair share of it. Not sure how I'll handle Sasuke with a pairing anyways. I'm open to suggestions :P**

* * *

 **Chapter Seven: Yakomi Town**

Team Seven neared Yakomi town, and Kuma grew more and more excited every step she took. Each one was a step closer to seeing her friends and family again. They were approaching a clearing in which would supply an overview of her beloved town.

As they exited the woods, they were greeted only with the sight of barren, ghostly ruins. Ash sleeping peacefully over the crumbled buildings. It was painfully evident the town had been gone for a while now, at least a few months. The ninja paused in their tracks. Sakura put a hand to the mouth, Kakashi and Sasuke looked mournful but professional, and Naruto put his hand on the now wide-eyed Kuma's upper back.

In some ways, the sight was eerily beautiful, particles of soot dancing about the air and the bitter smell of death saturating the area. Kuma's eyes were welling up with light tears. "My friends… family… mom, dad… I'm so sorry…" She wouldn't break down… no. She would find what happened to her people and make those responsible pay. But who would target such a small town? There was nothing there desirable to any missing ninja, unless…

"So… they want me that b-bad then… huh…" She couldn't help the sobbing, but still made an effort to speak in between pants. Naruto snapped his head up and Kakashi overheard.

"Who? Do you know who did this, Kuma?" Naruto ushered. He couldn't stand sights like this and hated ones who would commit an atrocious act such as this. Families, children, killed, but for what?

"I… no, Naruto. But I-I know why." She was still staring solemnly toward her home.

Kakashi finally ordered the team to retreat back to the camp they set up. He could tell Naruto wanted to further help this girl, but she didn't pay for this mission. She had only paid for a C-Rank escort. He told Kuma to wait by the fire while he and his team discuss the further actions of Team Seven. They were now out of earshot of the girl so Kakashi began.

"Naruto, I know what you're thinking but we can't just help every person who needs it. I'm sorry but she only paid for an escort back to her town-" He was cut off.

"Her town that doesn't exist anymore" Naruto said louder than he had hoped.

"While that is true, Naruto, she still technically made it back. I want to help her as much as you do, Naruto-kun, but we're ninja, not heroes." Sakura sadly put in. This was her first time really witnessing the horrors of the corrupted world they live in.

"Why not both?" Sasuke surprisingly added in. "Ninja are nothing if not loyal to something."

"And by doing out missions, we are loyal to the village" Sakura reluctantly argues against Sasuke. She didn't want to get into battle thinking she wasn't yet strong enough. She would no doubt be nothing but a burden to her team.

"By helping this girl we will be loyal to the village and to our hearts!" Naruto had a fierce look in his eyes that left little room to argue.

"If we can come to a team consensus, we will proceed accordingly." Kakashi honestly didn't care what happened, seeing as if they got into battle, he was confident in his ability to handle all but the strongest of ninja.

"Sakura… please. She's lost and without family or friends right now. She feels like she… has no place in the world… like she's been abandoned and she's alone…" The more Naruto spoke the more he realized he was speaking from experience. Everyone else picked up on it too, and Sasuke just nodded in agreement with his blonde friend.

After a moment of thought, Sakura finally gave in. "Fine… we will help that damned girl." She growled. While she was still a little sore from the lack of sleep due to answering so many questions about Naruto, she felt sympathy for the girl. After all, she had just lost her entire life in one moment.

Team Seven went back to the camp and told Kuma about their decision. At first she didn't accept saying how it was her duty and she could handle it, but Kakashi explained the possible situation and how his team didn't want her to be in danger, so she finally conceded and allowed them to help. Of course she was silently grateful that she had the backing of actual ninja at her side. Quite remarkable ones, she thought. She was also not too upset that she would be able to spend some more time learning about the other Uzumaki.

* * *

Neji couldn't stand Hinata's growth in strength. He had always seen her as a weak, spineless main branch member. That would never change, for fate had decreed her to forever be a coward and to fall at his hands. Of course, he had to vow his life to protect her, he anticipated the upcoming Chuunin exams, and his chance to prove that the branch family could be just as, if not more powerful than the main branch. He yearned for the day he would face her in battle, against all her supporters, even that Uzumaki kid. He would humiliate her just like the weakling she was.

These thoughts arose when Hiashi actually stopped their sparring to train his daughter, the one he normally never spared a second glance. Did he think she was better than him? Impossible, fate had promised him to be superior. That would never change. He went off and trained on his own after that, still bitter from the actions of his uncle, the one who he thought ordered his father's death. Neji never thought about even the slightest possibility that his father willingly sacrificed himself to keep his beloved brother alive. No, he was hell-bent on proving the main branch a bunch of cowards.

He has recently been working on a technique that would do just that. It was a technique normally only learned by main branch members, but one he actually taught himself. He was a genius, after all.

* * *

The group was split into teams: Naruto and Sasuke, and Sakura, Kuma, and Kakashi. They upturned rubble and searched for any sign at all that could lead them to the culprits. A town doesn't just get reduced to rubble for nothing, after all. The smell of ash and rot were stronger than ever and it was obvious that there were people in the rubble. Deceased people, but still people. After almost two hours of searching, all they found were strange markings painted on various walls still barely standing and eerie silence. Kakashi was about to call the search to an end for the day when…

"Kyaah!" Yelped Sakura. Sasuke and Naruto quickly rushed to her location to see what the fuss was about when the horrible smell of melted and rotting flesh forced itself in their noses. They were greeted by the awful sight of a burnt-black human body almost melted to the rubble. Sakura and Kuma looked on in shock as Naruto covered the eyes of the latter. She didn't need to see this. No one did.

'No mere civilian could do this, let alone any fire jutsu I've ever seen… Just who attacked this town?' This had Kakashi perplexed. A fire jutsu would burn the body to ashes, not melt it to the ground. He turned to Kuma, "Time to start talking." He called out to her as she was finding comfort in Naruto's embrace. He would wait until she was in a more stable state. She was currently crying into Naruto's shoulder and shaking, making her foot tap the ground repeatedly in a rhythm as Sasuke gave the blonde odd looks. Why him? Why would she choose him to cling to? Did he have something he himself doesn't? Why do I care? That last question was probably the hardest to answer for the Uchiha. He had never cared before, so why now? There's something strange about this girl…

* * *

About five miles south of Yakomi town, a group of three ninja sat in a triangle on three different logs lying on their side. They were surrounding a campfire eating some fish the man furthest to the left caught. They had chosen to eat now since the signal was received telling them the Jinchūriki and the girl had entered the town. They had been waiting for at least a couple of months now so it was about damn time they got some action. They would set out after finishing up their nice meal. Never want to kill on an empty stomach, right?

* * *

Once Kuma had calmed herself down enough to speak clearly, Kakashi and Team 7 rested about a mile outside of the ghost town to converse just what's going on.

"You mentioned earlier that you knew why someone would attack your town, or you, rather. Why?" Kakashi spoke calmly but forcefully. There was little to no room for playing around the subject. He needed answers and he was going to get them.

Kuma almost immediately sported a look akin to remembering something you wish you hadn't. "Ever… since I was born, I had a… gift, so to speak." She took on a new interest of her feet or the ground, it was hard to tell.

"What kind of gift?" Sasuke questioned this time. Was there a kekkei genkai the Uzumaki had? Maybe Naruto had it too.

"I can feel things. Chakra, more specifically. I can see it coming off of all of you and I can feel it from far away too. It tells me things…"

"Like what?" It was Sakura's turn to ask. Who knew chakra could tell you things?

"Feelings, pulse, thoughts… that sort of thing. I've learned how to sort of control it so I don't have headaches as much as I used to, but it still ha-" She couldn't finish her sentence before dropping like a sack of rocks. Naruto rushed up and caught her gracefully but noticed a ridiculously small senbon in her neck. They all immediately sunk into their own respective fighting stances. 'Where did that come from?' Kakashi looked around rapidly before his head snapped towards Sakura's feet as a hand came up through the ground and grabbed her. She was immediately pulled in before Kakashi could save and before she could make as much as a yelp.

"Sakura!" Naruto yelled out before his body instinctually moved to deflect the kunai speeding towards his head. Kakashi saw where that came from and threw his own kunai at a blinding speed towards the spot his enemy was. Suddenly a young boy with light purple hair appeared in front of Sasuke and swung a foot towards the boy. Sasuke dropped down and with an impressive speed for a Genin, formed hand seals and shot a small katon jutsu towards his opponent's gut. The man disappeared before appearing about ten feet away behind the three team seven members and Kuma. He was now accompanied by two other men, one of which was holding Sakura by the hair with a kunai to her neck. The long, pink hair she was so fond of.

Sasuke, Naruto, and Kakashi watched the men as the one in the middle was bound to speak sooner or later. They wanted to make an introduction. Kuma was still fast asleep on the pile of leaves Naruto gently placed her on.

"Hello. I am terribly sorry we had to meet under these circumstances, but I needed that red headed girl over there to keep her mouth shut, and this girl with us? Think of her as leverage. You see, we need something from you. Er… someone actually. We have this girl right here…" he pointed his kunai towards Sakura "… to make this easier on all of us. I don't expect too much from this, but I'm always one to be fair. I want to offer you all a chance to live, you see…" The man speaking was fairly tall, had jet black flat hair, bored eyes, and a dark blue flak jacket on over a gray long sleeved shirt and gray cargo pants. To his left was the purple haired boy, wearing similar to what Sasuke wore but all a dark brown. To the man's right was the one who took Sakura. He was a brown haired, stout man with orange hair and an Iwa uniform. It was obvious they were missing nin at the level of Chuunin or above, but what did they want? The most likely choice was Kuma, but could they also want Naruto or Sasuke? Kakashi probably had the most dangerous team. The Nine-Tails container and the last Uchiha… damn.

"Who are you and what are you after?" The Hatake adopted a commanding, authoritative tone. You almost had to listen to him.

"Well now, calm down. My name is Takeda, and I just want a simple trade. The boy to my left is Yusho, and to my right is a rather strong man called Hotaru. Now for my proposal, it's quite simple, this girl for one of yours. Simple, see?." It seemed as if the one in the middle was the leader. The other two remained silent.

"I assume you want Kuma, right? I'm sorry, but we can't hand her to you. My team and I have promised her our protection." Kakashi was now more ready than ever for a battle.

"Oh, it's quite alright. I can compromise. I will spare this girl if you hand over any of those kids you have with you, actually." Takeda didn't know the team would also have the Uchiha orphan with the, It's a jackpot, really. He only wanted the Nine-Tails technically but if things went south, which he expected them to, he could just kill the sensei and the girl and take both of the kids. Kuma would come willingly, of course. Kuma! That's right, it's about time for her to wake up, isn't it?

His thoughts were confirmed when the red headed girl rushed up to Naruto.

She took a moment to assess the situation before speaking with anger evident in her voice. "What did you do to my people?! We had an agreement, Takeda! You said you wouldn't hurt them!"

Team Sevens' heads all snapped to Kuma. Naruto was the one who spoke, however. "Kuma, what do you mean? What agreement?"

The girl suddenly adopted an empty and guilt-ridden look. "I'm… so sorry, Naruto… I didn't know you would be so kind… I'm sorry."

Naruto looked at the girl in a slow realization. They didn't want Kuma… they wanted him. Or what was inside of him, rather. He thought the girl was genuinely interested in him and stuck to him because she liked him… She was just trying to get close to him so he would trust her… She betrayed them, all of them; she was a trait-"A sword pierced the guilty and now surprised looking Uzumaki girl in the blink of an eye. It was almost as if it were in slow motion. Everyone watched as she fell into Naruto's arms slowly. He felt her lungs pump at an ever slowing rate and her pulse beat weakly, until, like a candle going extinct, it died. It flickered away… the girl he had gotten used to for the past few days, she was a lie, and now she was gone. Her last words were 'I'm sorry' and they were to him. Her town… her family… and now her life… this man took all that away from her, and she was only a little older than Naruto himself.

The blonde stood there, staring at the cold body in his arms in disbelief. His eyes wide and slowly forming slits instead of circles. Red gushed out from him at an ungodly rate as the ground caved in around him when he pounced at Takeda.

"Naruto wait!" Kakashi's yell was in vein… This was bad; the Kyuubi was showing its power. It seems directed, however, so he wouldn't focus on it. He instead aimed towards saving Sakura. Lifting up his headband, he vanished and appeared behind Hotaru, slightly above him. He kicked the man's head, throwing him a good twenty feet to the right. Almost the instant before the kick came, Sakura was sick of being a burden. She had been quiet for the length of the conversation, contemplating what to do and when to do it. She didn't want to rely on her team to save her; she would not be like that. Right as her sensei disappeared; she knew it was her chance. She quickly reached a kunai up to her hair that the man was gripping, and she cut it off. She released herself from her long locks she had grown so proud of the past year or so, and released herself from her own childish mindset. The cherry blossom has finally bloomed.

Hotaru flew to the right as Sakura and Kakashi charged the man, looking to end him before he could fight back. As they neared him, he sprung up, then back down into the ground without any hand seals. Kakashi's Sharingan flicked around rapidly, locating the man. Was he trying to escape? Kakashi slammed his foot on the ground, launching Hotaru up forcefully. He did a singly flip and landed right in front of the two.

"Kakashi Hatake of the Sharingan. I hope you didn't think I didn't know who you were. Any ninja would be hard-pressed not to." The orange haired man finally spoke. His voice was light, but deep. There was no malice in his voice, no anger, and no ill will. It almost seemed as if he didn't even want to fight. Nevertheless, he was the enemy. He had to either retreat or die, and Kakashi doubted he would retreat.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not in much mood to talk. You threatened my student, so you've threatened me." Kakashi said as he rushed forward and performed began rapidly forming hand signs, faster than the eye could see. " **Katon: Endan!** " Kakashi yelled as bullets of fire shot towards Hotaru. He jumped and dodged out of the way of all but one. A flame scorched his left shoulder as it skimmed him. He returned the attack by launching a pillar of rock towards Kakashi's gut. The copy ninja performed a substitution with a kunai he threw to get out of the way before throwing another towards Hotaru. The missing ninja easily batted it away with his own as surprisingly, Sakura appeared where the discarded kunai was falling, grabbed it, and launched it straight into the side of Hotaru. He quickly retaliated. " **Doton! Doryosu!** " He yelled as a two stone spears launched from the ground into Sakura's leg and shoulder. 'Now that she's out of the way, I can focus on Kakas-' He felt a sharp hand pass right through his heart. The sound of chirping radiated the air and his sight was plagued by a deathly blue light from behind.

"Chidori" Kakashi said quietly from behind Hotaru. When he was sure his opponent was dead, he freed Sakura from her predicament. She would be ultimately fine, but she was smooth out from the pain. He wrapped up her bandages and laid her on the ground.

* * *

Sasuke watched Naruto slam the man into the nearest tree and his sensei go for the Iwa missing nin, so that left…

Yusho threw a pair of senbon at Sasuke who dove out of the way and leaped towards the boy only to be knocked aside by a forceful stream of water. The Uchiha got up shakily and threw two shuriken towards Yusho, each one going on either side of him.

He looked a little perplexed but stayed silent as he stood still. Sasuke smirked in triumph as the shuriken suddenly jerked back and wrapped the ninja wire connected to them around the purple-haired boy. He didn't seem affected by it, however. Sasuke paid no mind to his calmness as he went to launch a kick towards the boy's left temple. Water suddenly rushed out where the boy had previously been only moments ago and threw Sasuke back, also breaking the wire. Yusho appeared right behind Sasuke as he was flying through the air, and delivered a crushing kick to his spine. Sasuke flew the other direction and before landing harshly, pivoted on his palm, recovering somewhat, and sent three kunai in Yusho's path. One kunai stuck to the boy's chest whereas the other was sent hurling back to Sasuke, who caught it with his thigh.

The water using boy immediately appeared in front of Sasuke, rushing to send him to the ground with a fist, when all of a sudden the Uchiha caught the hand mid-swing. The boy took over a shocked look as he gazed into the crimson eyes of the Sharingan. Sasuke connected a punch to Yusho's head before the boy simply turned into a puddle. That technique was getting annoying way too fast.

Sasuke soon found himself dodging tendrils of water as they whipped and cracked anywhere he would stand. Yusho was nowhere to be seen and was instead replaced with these seemingly self-aware tentacles of murderous water. After dodging the eighth or ninth one, he wasn't keeping track, they all diverged in on him and encased him in a sphere of water. He was stuck, drowning in this boy's jutsu. After about a minute with no site of Yusho, Sasuke really thought he was going to die. That was until Kakashi appeared in front of the sphere and rested his hands upon it. Sasuke felt a wave across his body then the water dispersed. 'He used chakra! Why didn't I think of that…' Sasuke thought in shame before Yusho appeared roughly ten feet away from the two and sent a blast towards them. Sasuke was about to counter it with a katon jutsu when Kakashi simple sent a charge of electricity down the stream before getting out the way. The energy traveled down the beam of water and roughly 50 thousand volts traveled throughout Yusho's body in an instant. He stood still for about three seconds then dropped; his body blackened and skin crumbling off. He was burned badly and would be dead within the next thirty seconds.

Sasuke looked at Kakashi with a newfound respect. The man wasn't a Jounin by chance after all. Maybe this team would be beneficial for the time being. The requirements for getting the power he needed to kill his brother still terrified him more than anything, though. He was starting to seriously doubt if he could carry through that task, even if it meant getting the same eyes as that man…

* * *

Thinking straight was the last thing the blonde could be credited for at the time. He slammed his body into Takeda's and began rapidly pounding the man's gut with his Kyuubi-enraged fists. Takeda was taken way off guard at the sudden mood and power change the boy undertook. His travel through the air and the punishment to his stomach finally came to an end when the pain instead moved to his back, slamming against a tree violently. Naruto eased off of him for a moment, which was all he needed to defend himself. He began blocking any strike Naruto would throw but never got a chance to strike the boy. After a while of playing defense, he chose to fight back by releasing radiation-induced heat all from his body. Naruto's skin started to bubble as he was relentlessly attacking. Ignoring the agonizing pain he felt as his skin flared and peeled off, he delivered one speedy but heavy punch to Takeda's chin before backing off.

"How did you like that, boy? See, I'm fairly unique. I have what is known as a kekkei genkai. A nature release only I can use. I like to call it Hōshasen Release. I can manipulate my chakra into mimicking radiation and all its effects. You like?" The proud man's words fell on deaf ears as Naruto's skin was now perfectly healed. Once it was, he charged Takeda again. This time, the man didn't let Naruto get close as he shot a beam of blinding yellow light in the blonde's direction. Before it reached him, however, a second tail sprouted and Naruto vanished.

Appearing behind Takeda, he crashed his fist into the man's head, making a sickening crunch as he hit the ground. Naruto wasted no time in jumping on top of the man and brutally pounding his back until he was sure the man would never walk again. How could you when your spine was reduced to a powder?

Once Takeda stopped moving, Naruto stood up and stared down at him, calming down, and relinquishing the red cloak and two tails. He didn't feel much exhaustion, which he contributed to the Kyuubi's healing factor and his intense training with Hinata. It was only a few moments before Sasuke and Kakashi appeared near him, the latter of which was holding an unconscious Sakura.

"Will she be alright?" Naruto asked without turning to see the three behind him. He could feel their presence.

"Yes. She has some injuries, but nothing too severe. Naruto… did you do this?" Kakashi looked to the crushed and mutilated man lying face-down on the ground. His answer came from the silence Naruto gave. Sasuke looked on in worry; he had never thought Naruto to be capable of something like that. It looked like a beast got a hold of the man.

Kakashi nodded, "We should be going. Seeing as the girl made it back to her town before she passed, this mission was a success…" Naruto and Sasuke nodded solemnly. While they weren't happy about what happened here, they did technically get Kuma to her town. Naruto was probably the most shaken of all of them, however. He felt so angry at her for betraying them… for betraying him… but he now realizes just what position she was in. She just wanted to protect her family, her friends, and her home… He wasn't sure he wouldn't do the same as her in that situation. In the end, she was just yet another victim of greed. Forced to do things she wouldn't otherwise even consider, only to save her home… Naruto swore to never let anything like that happen ever again, to anyone. That was his goal. That was his dream.

"N… no… I-I won't l-let you l-leave…" They heard Takeda's voice whimper from behind them. He was weak. Deathly so. How he could speak let alone do anything to stop them was a mystery.

That mystery was solved as soon as the three felt an enormous power begin welling up in Takeda.

"Naruto, Sasuke, we need to get out of here!" Kakashi instantly knew what the man was going to do, and with that kind of power, it would probably be effective. Naruto grabbed Sasuke and Shunshin'd away repeatedly until he was at least two miles away, and at a blinding speed too. Sasuke was thoroughly impressed at Naruto's sheer speed with the technique. Kakashi wasn't far behind, and he too was impressed that Naruto could not only keep up, but he could move faster than him, an Elite Jounin. Just what else was that boy hiding? He had never shown this speed before. How skilled was he?

Kakashi's thoughts were soon cut off by the blinding orange light of the spherical explosion. The sound came shortly after as a deafening boom, followed by a shockwave that succeeded in knocking multiple trees over and almost sent them soaring through the air. The energy that man built up was nothing short of incredible. They all stood in awe of the eruption that could probably be felt, seen, and heard from Konoha. Poor village probably thinks they're being attacked.

* * *

Team seven made their way back to the village in mostly silence. No one was in the mood to talk so Kakashi would wait until later to ask Naruto about his abilities and his fight. The Kyuubi's chakra leaking out was not something that could be ignored. While Kakashi was walking, he was writing a detailed report on the events of their mission, which would stay a C-Rank considering the mission they accepted had already been completed once they accepted the new, unofficial one, which they had regrettably failed. Once he was finished with his report, he summoned one of his ninken to travel ahead of them, bringing the report in so they could go and rest as soon as they returned home. They all had a long day, after all. Sakura would be out of commission for a while, so it would just be him, Naruto, and Sasuke performing missions. Maybe that will give the girl enough time to overcome her obsession with the boy. She did begin that journey when she cut her hair to escape Hotaru's hold. She also showed bravery by assisting him in his fight. He could finally see the hint of potential he had been waiting for in the girl. Sasuke also showed impressive battle skills. He managed to injure his opponent who was probably low Jounin level, and he showed a high proficiency in ninjutsu. Naruto, however… Naruto took down a man of Jounin strength at least, alone, and with little to no injury to himself. That was definitely included in the report and would be looked into thoroughly. He also showed a speed that was damn near close to Shunshin no Shisui. Although that may have been the adrenaline pumping through his veins, seeing as he just got out of a dangerous fight and wanted to save Sasuke's life…

* * *

The team entered the village and almost immediately Naruto branched off to his apartment. Sasuke looked at his rival's back for a moment in confusion but shrugged it off and went to his own home. Kakashi, however, wasn't so lucky. He had to first lug Sakura to the hospital so she could get proper care, then he had to follow up on his report to the Hokage. He had realized after sending his ninken off that he had forgotten some details in his report, but he also wanted to take the chance to ask Hiruzen about Naruto's scores in the academy. The boy had to have performed rather well if he was at that level, so why had he never heard of his excellence? He could understand the speed somewhat, considering he was Minato's son, but what of the strength and chakra control over the vast amount he has? He had to have received extra help from someone…

* * *

Knock, knock…

Knock, knock, knock…

KNOCK, KNOCK! Naruto swung his door open angrily, ready to yell at whoever was bothering waking him up at… 4:32 p.m... Oh…

The door opened only to reveal an upset and worried Hinata. He looked back at her with surprise plastered all across his face. Why was she here? Oh… Wait… Shi-

"You've missed all our training sessions for the past week, Naruto-kun… Are you alright?" Hinata said with force and care at the same time if possible. She was really getting better at that whole stuttering thing.

"Ah… um, sorry, Hinata. I've just been busy-" Naruto's sad excuse was cut off quickly.

"Busy sleeping and eating ramen?" That voice was a lot more playful but still oh so very soft and nimble. When Hinata saw the empty look in his eyes, she immediately switched to care mode. "Naruto-kun… what's wrong? And don't lie, I can tell"

"How..? Uh… It's not a big deal." Naruto curiously said quietly.

"Naruto…" Hinata was now in the apartment, focused solely on making the blonde feel better, or at least tell her what was wrong.

"Look, Hinata, there was this girl on one of my missions. She was an Uzumaki like me, and her village was destroyed by a group of assholes. They had her bring me to them, and when they were done with her, they killed her… I was unable to save her life, and because of me, her home and family was destroyed." Naruto said with fierceness in his eyes as he stared Hinata down.

"Naruto… It's not your fault. Kakashi-sensei couldn't even save her, so how could you? You also c-can't help it if they w-wanted y-you…" Her stutter returned as the blonde stared into her eyes. He had never noticed how pretty they were before… He was broken out of that thought when Hinata caught on to something.

"Naruto-kun? Why did they want you?" she questioned.

Oh… damn… he forgot she didn't know about the Kyuubi. Could he even tell her? What would she think of him..? That wasn't something he wanted to find out quite yet… He rushed her out the door in avoidance of the subject.

"Thanks for the help, Hinata-chan! I feel a lot better! Bye!" Naruto honestly did feel a little better. She had that effect on him. But that wasn't why he was pushing her out the door. He had the biggest smile he could muster as he postponed telling her about his tenant. He had to make her feel at ease, after all.

* * *

The new generation of the famous Ino-Shika-Cho trio attacked Asuma as they prepared for the incoming Chuunin exams. When they ceased training, the three relaxed, laying themselves down in the soft grass. Their sensei left to check out Team Eight's training. That's what he said, at least. They all knew he only was interested in seeing one person of the bunch. He had been seeing Kurenai quite often as of late, and it was only a matter of time before they got together.

"So do you think the other teams will make it to the Chuunin exams?" Choji asked while stuffing his face with his latest back of chips.

"Well of course, I mean, Sasuke is on it. How could they not?" Ino felt the need to vocalize her obsession.

"I think Naruto will really carry his team through any test they have." Shikamaru saw Naruto train with Hinata a couple of times and it was honestly quite amazing how he moved with an almost unparalleled grace. He was in another league from his Team Ten.

"Are you crazy? You can't be saying he's better than Sasuke. He made the lowest scores of anybody in our graduating class." Ino defended her love.

"And what about the years before that? I seem to remember him being the top. I also remember him never losing a sparring match, but maybe that's just all in my head." Shikamaru said with a lazy smile on his mug.

"I agree with Shikamaru. He's super smart, after all!" Choji and the lazy genius were best friends and had been for a while now. They defended each other whenever they could because it was what friends would do. Ino, admitting defeat, just sighed and closed her eyes, lulling into sleep under the bright warm sun.

* * *

Over the course of a few weeks, all three Genin teams trained hard for the exams and put everything they had into bettering themselves in between missions. Hinata along with Naruto had to balance their training between their team, each other, and for Naruto, with Bear. As the exams neared closer and closer, the three teams were given a break from any missions so that they could train. Naruto continued to visit Kurama and to train his own Chakra along with mixing the two. It was hard at first, even damn near impossible, but over time the fox became willing to cooperate. Naruto had a way with large beasts of destruction and death. Or so it seemed. He could now employ the one tailed cloak without losing control, but the second would almost always end in Yamato squeezing the life out of his wrist in order to suppress the beast. Naruto also learned how to use chakra itself as a weapon as opposed to simply using jutsu. Hinata could be credited for that, since he derived his knowledge from her gentle fist technique. He could now use short range blasts with his chakra to stun or even attack his opponent. He really did want to learn his chakra nature, however, and start learning some actual jutsu aside from his rarely-used Shadow Clone jutsu. Come to think of it, why doesn't he use that more aside from just training? It could be really helpful sometimes…

* * *

 **Whew, 6k words :) I'm not sure about this chapter, but I hope I did it justice. Thanks for reading, and please review! It helps to know what you guys think and it really inspires me to write more.**

 **Until next time!**

 **Next Chapter: Chuunin exams! :D**


	8. New Beginnings, Old Feelings

**Hey, guys. I am terribly sorry for my absence. I could go on making excused but I'd rather just get to writing this chapter! Enjoy!**

* * *

The sound metal clashing rang throughout the forest. The stench of blood was the only true distraction.

Here in the second portion of the Chuunin exams, the true test was survival. This, however, was proving to be quite difficult. Not because of the kids competing, since Naruto and Sasuke possessed ample strength to take on most challenges, but because of a certain someone who snuck in with a simple goal in mind. Orochimaru is currently blocking the way of Team 7 from reaching the tower to complete the second phase of the exam.

"Get out of our way, kid." Sasuke said in a collected manner.

"Or… what? What will you do, Sasuke-kun?" The disguised snake dribbled out.

Upon hearing his name, Sasuke was phased and confused.

"How do you know my name?" He yelled.

"Oh, I know far more than your name, Sasuke. Which brings me to my next point…" His fangs extended as he readied for battle. Team 7 all tensed up and prepared themselves for a fight as well. Then, before anyone could act, Orochimaru's head shot out rapidly aiming to seemingly decapitate Sasuke.

"Sasuke, no!" Naruto began moving towards his rival to hopefully deflect the head with his chakra force, but he was a moment too late…

A figure was in front of her beloved in a fraction of a second, taking the blow from Orochimaru right in her neck. Sakura froze in shock one moment, and dropped the next. Paralyzed and numb from the toxins, she was effectively out of commission. The head retracted as fast as it shot out, leaving Sasuke shocked too.

'She… she just took that hit… for me? Without hesitation… I was paralyzed with fear, yet she…' Sasuke has long forgotten the benefits of love, and that left him perplexed. Naruto, however, uses his passion to his full advantage and charges the Sannin.

"Yes, come at me, fox! I may have lost my Sasuke-kun for now, but you… I can make use of you!" Orochimaru spat as he dodged and guarded all of Naruto's surprisingly well delivered strikes. While focusing on his speedy hands, he failed to notice a chakra-enhanced knee crush straight into his gut.

"Take that, you bastard!" Naruto shouted as he took the chance to sling his shin into the side of the snake's head, sending him into a tree.

Pulling himself out of his dent, and wiping the blood off of his mouth, the Sannin spoke. "I would be a fool if I didn't commend your strength, young Naruto. However…' He was now standing for a moment, before flickering behind Naruto. "… You are a fool for challenging m-" What he didn't expect, however, was an elbow right into his mouth, cracking a tooth or two. And with that, he disappeared in retreat.

"Run away." Naruto said with a fierce look to both himself and to his long-gone enemy. After assuring himself that the strange man was gone, he joined Sasuke in checking on Sakura.

"How bad is she?" He asked Sasuke.

"It's unsteady, but she has breath and a heartbeat. She needs medical attention, though. And Naruto… How did you..?"

"We can have that talk another time, we need to get to the tower quick."

* * *

As they arrived to the building, they called for medical attention immediately and some medic nins arrived and took Sakura, asking what happened.

"Some weird guy stopped us in the forest and bit her and poisoned her. Just help!" Naruto was slightly panicking. Without another word, the medics flickered away and brought her to the infirmary.

"Well… What now?" Naruto asked quizzically.

"We wait." Was all Sasuke could say. He was in deep thought. First of all, Sakura basically sacrificed herself for him against an enemy with noticeably terrifying strength who showed up out of nowhere knowing all about him. Then the guy targeted him which scared him too much to move. Lastly, as if all of that wasn't odd enough, Naruto jumped in and beat the guy senseless, making him retreat. This was all just too much for such a short amount of time. Sure, Naruto is strong, but that was a whole other level. 'Just what kind of training did he do?' the Uchiha pondered.

"Hey, Sasuke, Naruto!" The sudden shout brought him out of his thought. He turned and saw Ino running up to him and his teammate. Her own teammates following suit dejectedly behind her.

"Hey, Ino." Naruto greeted her in a surprisingly calm and kind manner. He knew she wasn't stupid, even if she had an unrequited love for Sasuke. She still wasn't a total fangirl like the rest. Sasuke, however, remained silent. He didn't appreciate her yelling and interrupting his thoughts. Sometimes thoughts were all he had.

"Uh, hey… Where's Sakura?" While they fought, the aforementioned pink haired girl was still her best friend and her absence frightened her.

"Don't worry, Ino, she's in the infirmary. She's hurt but it's not bad." Sasuke felt the need to answer this time. Some would say it was due to the return of a conscience.

"Oh… well that's good. Hey, Naruto, are you okay? Your face…"

At this, Naruto was slightly confused. He hadn't felt any pain in his face, yet when he touched it, he felt a large gash on his cheek. When did that happen?

"Uh.. Yeah.. I'm fine, thank you.." He answered passively.

"Well… Okay… I'll see you guys later then, I have to get going." Ino could feel the signs Shikamaru and Choji were silently shooting her. They didn't like Sasuke very much with his condescending attitude.

"Yeah, see you later, guys!" Naruto waved them off.

Ino and her team were walking away when a spontaneous and ear piercing ringing sound was heard from the emergency room. The two teams shared looks as their hearts dropped before sprinting full force to the source of the noise.

"Clear!" the doctor shouted before pressing the defibrillators into Sakura's chest.

"Damnit! She's in shock!, She needs more Chakra!" On his command, a medic nin approached and flowed the energy into her system. After a few fateful seconds that seemed to never end, the two Genin teams entered just as Sakura stabilized. At the same moment, the medic nin dropped to her knees out of exhaustion. She turned around to face the teams she heard enter. Now was as good of time as any to inform them of the girl's condition.

"Okay, listen…" She could see the distraught looks on their faces as they expected the worst.

'Let me start with saying, she's not dead…" She felt relieved as they all seemed to feel also.

"The toxin, however, was from a curse mark. That is all I can say for now, as the details will be explained at the discretion of the Hokage if needed. I can say, however, that her Chakra network is completely destroyed. Aside from being bedridden for weeks, I'm afraid she will be disqualified from the exams. As well, her ninja career is unlikely to continue. I am deeply sorry." The medic nin told them as much as she could, as bluntly as she could.

Ino dropped upon hearing the news. Her longtime friend and rival, crippled. Shikamaru and Choji each stood with a hand on her shoulders in comfort. Naruto felt guilty at not being able to help her, yet was relieved that she was at least alive. Sasuke, however, was writhing in guilt. It was his fault. He couldn't move. She is like this because she was protecting him. His conscience is now back in full.

* * *

The rest of the exams went by seamlessly and were relatively uneventful. Naruto and Sasuke both dropped out of the exams in support of Sakura and in little care of title and rank. This left only Shikamaru to get the title of Chuunin. Not for extreme strength, but for maturity and strategy. These two things would enable him to be a powerful leader.

A week passed by with Sakura still unconscious. Ino and Naruto would stop by frequently to check on her while Naruto kept up his training with Hinata.

* * *

Naruto and Ino were sitting side by side at the bed side of Sakura. They didn't have much to say to each other, but that was okay. Naruto knew that his presence, or anyone's presence was support enough. For both Sakura and Ino. Then, the sound of a silent weeping crossed his ears. He looked over and Ino was shaking.

"Ino… What's wrong? You know she's getting better." He asked worriedly.

"I know… But still… I just hate seeing… Her like this" She said in between sobs. This made Naruto's heart sink. He stood up, which made Ino stand up too for some reason. "Where are going, Naruto?" She questioned softly.

"I'm sorry, Ino, but I need to go. I have some… errands to run." Seeing the hopeless look in her eyes, he did something he would have never expected to do. He walked up and- hugged her. She was just as surprised, but welcomed the comfort. She gently wrapped her arms around his lower back and they stayed like that for a few seconds before he left without a word, leaving Ino shocked. Not only did she not expect that from Naruto, she also didn't expect the weird feeling it gave her.

Naruto was exiting the building with that on his mind. He didn't want to leave but he has to check on Sasuke. He was acting weird after what happened and it is especially worrying. He was on his way to the Uchiha compound when, oddly enough, the Uchiha approached him first.

"Hey Sasuke! I was just loo-" Naruto was cut off.

"Naruto. I want to spar with you. Like we used to. Remember?

This took him off guard. Today was odd indeed. Of course he remembers, though. How could he not? Could Sasuke finally be recovering from the massacre?

"Y-Yeah… I do. And sure. I would love to spar. But another time okay? I just want to talk right now. About you. You've been weird…"

"I'm sorry Naruto. I don't have time to talk right now. I need to check up on Sakura." Sasuke seemed so focused and… oddly enough, normal.

Naruto was left in shock as Sasuke entered the hospital before disappearing. 'Well… I was not expecting that…'

Sasuke entered the room only to be greeted by silence. Sakura was alone as Ino had long since left. He approached the sleeping girl and cupped the side of her face.

"I'm sorry, Sakura. You shouldn't be like this. You saved me, and I will never forget that. I know how to save you now, though. If I'm right about my feelings for you, then I only have one more thing to confirm before I can help you. I have to see… I promise, Sakura, it won't be long." Sasuke removed his hand and silently left the room, returning home.

* * *

Naruto headed straight to the training grounds to meet with Bear, who had only recently resumed following him. The blonde slumped up against a post as Bear appeared.

"So… I fought Orochimaru. And held my own… What does that say about me?" Naruto wondered aloud.

"It says you're smart, and he held back. Naruto, you need to understand, that man is extremely dangerous. He's a kage level shinobi." Bear only said this out of worry. That man could have killed Naruto, and he is extremely glad that choice wasn't made. Bear has grown to deeply care about the boy. "If you ever see him again, I will not hesitate to protect you, Naruto."

"I know, Bear. I know. It's just, Sasuke asked me to spar with him, and I'm afraid."

"Of what? You are far stronger than him.."

"Which is why I'm afraid. If Sasuke discovers that, he may hate me. He may fall deeper in his obsession with power. You know he wants to hunt his brother. If he finds out how strong I am, he may become desperate for other means of strength…"

Bear stared at Naruto. The kid knows a lot for his age. He truly has matured to an impressive point. But how does he know so much?

"Look, Naruto, just don't show him your full strength. Teach him. Don't let him know you're doing it, but bring him to your level. That is the best way to help him, I believe."

"Yeah… I suppose so…" Naruto stood up and was about to request some ramen before the subject of their conversation arrived. The Uchiha walked towards Naruto as Bear disappeared in an instand before being spotted.

'Well… I guess that fight is happening sooner than later.' Naruto thought.

"You know why I'm here, Naruto. I saw you fight Orochimaru. I need to know just how strong you are, so fight me!" Sasuke was already dropping in stance.

"Guess I couldn't hold you off forever. Let's go!" Naruto charged his rival, jumped in the air and created a clone only to hurl it at his opponent. Sasuke spun kicked the clone out of the way and, at blinding speed, formed hand signs to shoot fire at Naruto in the air. The blonde threw a kunai at Sasuke's head to which he dodged. A moment before hitting the flames, Naruto replaced himself with the blade and swung a foot at Sasuke's head. Sasuke bent down and dropped to sweep Naruto as he hit the ground. Naruto tripped but quickly spun to get back on his feet. This 'fight' looked more like a dance, choreographed by a professional.

"You're quick, Naruto, but you aren't going all out! What's the matter? Am I too weak for you?!" Sasuke was getting more and more enraged.

"Sasuke, quit it! You're obsessed!" Naruto was getting frustrated himself too.

Sasuke responded by appearing in front of Naruto and punching him square in the face, knocking him down. It began raining right about this time as the clouds engulfed the sky. Only a select few rays of sun peered through.

Naruto lifted himself and started walking towards Sasuke. If he wanted a fight, he's got one. As they were a few feet apart, Naruto began striking Sasuke nearly as fast as he could block. With Sasuke on the defensive, Naruto sped up his attacks slowly until, finally, one landed in Sasuke's gut, making him crumple over. This was only for a moment, however, as he adjusted himself whipped out a kunai and stabbed Naruto in the shoulder.

Bear was about to interfere until he could feel Naruto tell him not to. The blonde now had a hold of Sasuke's wrist and looked into his eyes sadly. Sasuke's damp hair clung to his face and covered an eye. He had a look of rage and unfulfilled desire. There was something else, though. Was it… realization? Or… satisfaction? Maybe a mixture of both? Naruto decided to speak through his now horse and sore throat.

"What happened to you, Sasuke? I… I thought you were recovering… We used to be so close… But look at yourself…" He felt a massive lump in his throat.

"Naruto… You are my best friend… You know that. If only you could understand… What I have to do. If you could understand my suffering… You are luckily far more hopeful than I am, however. I'm sorry Naruto. This is how it has to be…" Sasuke was being genuine. Sincere. This is far more than he has been in the past few years. Naruto was paralyzed and struck with an odd fear and despair. With Sasuke's last words, he pulled his knife back and walked away. He has a mission, and he could not rest until it was over. No matter how much he wanted to stop, it was too late now.

* * *

The next morning, Naruto woke up, trying not to think about the events of yesterday. He had a training session scheduled with Hinata, and He couldn't miss it. But first, he had to pick up a gift. It was the Hyuuga girl's birthday and he needed to show her he remembered, only because he almost forgot.

Today help clear skies and lots of sun. It was an exceptionally nice day and Naruto felt it was a symbol that it would also be a much needed good day. After the recent events, some happiness would be cherished. He arrived to the flower shop and could see Ino through the window. She was wearing a tight yellow V-neck with a green apron on, showing she was in charge of the shop at the moment. He walked in and noted her surprise at his presence. A flower shop wasn't his usual hang out spot.

"Good morning, Naruto. Not to be rude but… what are you doing here? She asked innocently. The memory of his hug still resonated in her mind, which made his presence even more uncomfortable in an oddly good way.

"Heya, Ino. Sorry to bother, but I need some flowers… Obviously. What says "Happy Birthday" well?"

So that's why he's here. He's shopping for Hinata… Wait… Why would that bother me?

"You're no bother, Naruto. Here, I'd recommend these…" She pointed him to a beautiful bouquet of lavender flowers mixed in with some yellow roses. Naruto decided they would have to do, as we was almost late for his training session/ get-together with his friend.

"I'll take 'em! Thanks Ino, you're the best!" He left with a toothy grin giving Ino a shiver down her spine.

'Weird…' She thought.

* * *

He arrived to an awkwardly posed Hinata standing with her hands behind her back, highlighting certain areas need not mentioned. The thought was quickly washed from Naruto's mind, as he too had his hands behind his back, but for a different reason.

"Hey, Hina-chan! Sorry I'm late, I just got caught up with some errands along the way." He half-lied.

"It's o-okay, Naruto-kun. What do you have behind your back, though?" The use of a nickname phased her, helping her stutter prevail.

'Damnit… Byakugan'

"Well…" He pulled the flowers into sight. "… Happy birthday, Hinata. And thank you for being my friend!"

'Friend… yeah.' Hinata couldn't help but think. She was, however, happy beyond imagination that he got her flowers and that they were lovely.

"Thank you, Naruto-kun. And th-thank you for being my f-friend." Man, that stutter sure is stubborn.

"Of course! Now, we should really get to training." Hinata nodded. "I've been working on my chakra control, and I picked up a little trick from Jiraiya-sensei." He said before holding out his hand and forming a rasengan.

Hinata stood awestruck at the ball of energy that must take amazing control to use. And did he say Jiraiya?

"That's… amazing, Naruto-kun. And Jiraiya-Sama taught you that? As in, the legendary Sannin?" Naruto nodded.

"Yeah, although I wouldn't call him 'Sama'. He's kind of a massive pervert. He's strong, but definitely not a 'Sama'." Naruto couldn't help but correct her.

'O-Oh…" Hinata couldn't imagine someone as legendary as Jiraiya, the toad sage of the Sannin, being a pervert. Although it seems a lot of strong ninja are that way. What if Naruto becomes one…

"Yeah, but hey, I was wondering… The rasengan is wonderful, but it takes a bit too long too create. What if I could make it smaller? You know, not by reducing the size, but making it more dense. Could I do that?"

This question took her off guard. "Well, theoretically, you could, but it would take an extreme amount of control…"

"That's fine! Just another thing to practice, right? " Naruto was always the optimist of the bunch. Besides, with a few shadow clones and hours of training, he was sure he could nail this technique.

So the two ninjas practiced, sparred, and talked for a few hours before heading to get some ramen as the sun went down. Concluding their day together, they each went their separate ways. Naruto now had something he wanted to discuss with someone special.

* * *

As he arrived at his apartment, he decided to do this alone, as he was confident he could control himself and his tenant. He began meditating and entering his dreamscape to talk to Kurama. There were some things he needed to discuss.

After a while of meditation, he felt the damp ground of the cage flow into his senses. He stood up and greeted Kurama.

"What do you want, Kit?" Kurama already knew what he was thinking, due to being a part of him, yet still addressed for a reason he did not know himself.

"Hello to you too. " Naruto replied in a half-way playful tone. "I want to ask you something. More of a request." Kurama waited patiently.

"Well… I want to work with you. I want to use your chakra without all the hatred. I want to begin mastering the rasengan and that includes using your chakra." Naruto had since bcame more confident in talking to the Kyuubi as they now weren't very aggressive with each other.

"Kid, you know how dangerous my chakra is, right? Even if I let you use it, it would take an enormous amount of control to balance it with yours. I could not help you with that."

"Control, control, control. That's all I hear. I can do it, and you know that. I just need your permission. Can you trust me on this? I won't let your chakra overtake me. I've talked to Tenzo about this. He's against it, but he knows how stubborn I am."

'I see. Well, I suppose it won't harm me either way. So sure, why not? I'll give you access to my chakra, but know this, even when you balance our chakra and learn how to condense the rasengan, you won't master it."

Naruto stood perplexed. "What do you mean? What else can I do with it" He asked genuinely.

"For a smart kit, you sure are foolish."

"Hey! C'mon, just tell me!"

"Well, your rasengan is only a change in chakra shape. The next step is to add in a change in nature. Your nature affinity being wind, it shouldn't be all that hard."

So that is the final step in mastering this jutsu the Fourth Hokage began. 'I know I can do it… I have to do it'

"Thank you, Kurama." Naruto began to leave before the Kyuubi spoke up.

"Naruto."

"Yeah?"

"Be wary of the Uchiha."

That's all he said before casting Naruto back into reality.

'Odd…' He thought.

On that note, he flopped on his bed and fell asleep soundly and suddenly.

* * *

In the dead of night, a long figure traced down the road. He headed into the hospital with an immense regret and sorrow on his mind. The only thing carrying him was his resolve for redemption. He had to avenge his family and face his brother. This was how it had to be. He entered Sakura's room, knelt down by her side, and kissed her forehead. With tears blurring his vision, he pressed his kunai into her temple and stood up. He pressed his two fingers to the same forehead he kissed moments ago and left without a sound. Left the room, then the hospital, then the village, and finally, his humanity.

Hanging off the kunai was a note. The note read…

'Come for me, Naruto.'

* * *

 **There it is, guys. A new chapter for a new beginning. Again, sorry for the wait, but here it is.**


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